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.
Week 9 reflection
This week I continued to teach patterns to my students. We completed many different hands on activities including making pattern bracelets, making pattern border pictures, extending pattern blocks, etc. The students seemed to enjoy the activities.
However, after two weeks I still have two students who have no idea what a pattern is. I keep wondering: "How can I help these students even more then I already am?" I've worked with them one-on-one when other students were working on their patterns to help guide them and teach them exactly what patterns are but that doesn't seem to help. I have put them into groups with other students who understand patterns thinking that maybe that would help them, but it doesn't work either.
I am hoping that the activities that I have planned for this week will help them increase their understandings.
However, after two weeks I still have two students who have no idea what a pattern is. I keep wondering: "How can I help these students even more then I already am?" I've worked with them one-on-one when other students were working on their patterns to help guide them and teach them exactly what patterns are but that doesn't seem to help. I have put them into groups with other students who understand patterns thinking that maybe that would help them, but it doesn't work either.
I am hoping that the activities that I have planned for this week will help them increase their understandings.
Week 7 reflection
This week I continued to teach the students about shapes for my action research.
On Monday and Tuesday I taught the students how to play Color/Shape Bingo. At first, some of the students had trouble understanding how to play bingo but we went over the established guidelines and rules to make sure the directions were clear for all. The students were told that they needed to be good listeners, safe, and be responsible. Most students were able to play the game following these rules, however a couple students needed constant reminders.
The students loved bingo! They paid very close attention to their cards to make sure they marked each shape. Some students even helped their friends/classmates who were struggling.
I had some problems with "J" and "D" trying to keep them on track. I found myself wondering, "How else can I keep them engaged?"
Another activity that I had the students work on was finding shapes on the "Backyardigans Coloring Mat" that I had. The students were very focused and engaged because many of them have see the "Backyardigan" show before and were excited to participate. I even had each of them tell me something about the show. As they found each shape, I had them tell me what it was called. They had to color it a certain color, the one that I told them to. It was a semi-assessment to see what they understood and were still struggling with.
Overall, it was an enjoyable educational week. I am learning more about kindergarten each and every day. This week allowed me to see that my students truly work better with hands on manipulatives and activities.
On Monday and Tuesday I taught the students how to play Color/Shape Bingo. At first, some of the students had trouble understanding how to play bingo but we went over the established guidelines and rules to make sure the directions were clear for all. The students were told that they needed to be good listeners, safe, and be responsible. Most students were able to play the game following these rules, however a couple students needed constant reminders.
The students loved bingo! They paid very close attention to their cards to make sure they marked each shape. Some students even helped their friends/classmates who were struggling.
I had some problems with "J" and "D" trying to keep them on track. I found myself wondering, "How else can I keep them engaged?"
Another activity that I had the students work on was finding shapes on the "Backyardigans Coloring Mat" that I had. The students were very focused and engaged because many of them have see the "Backyardigan" show before and were excited to participate. I even had each of them tell me something about the show. As they found each shape, I had them tell me what it was called. They had to color it a certain color, the one that I told them to. It was a semi-assessment to see what they understood and were still struggling with.
Overall, it was an enjoyable educational week. I am learning more about kindergarten each and every day. This week allowed me to see that my students truly work better with hands on manipulatives and activities.
Week 6 reflection
This week I continued my unit on shapes. The students learned circles, triangles, ovals, rectangles, and squares. Each day I read them a book on shapes for my action research. After the story, they participated in hands on activities with manipulatives that had them demonstrate their understanding of the different shapes.
We worked on drawing triangles, squares, rectangles, ovals and circles which they did a job on. I was surprised how quickly they were able to identify the shapes. I used the interactive SmartBoard and had the students come up and "connect the dots" of different shapes. They also had to tell me the name of the shape that they were connecting the dots to. It was a great informal assessment to see if they had any confusions or misunderstandings. The students enjoyed coming up and using the SmartBoard. I am planning on using it in many more lessons since they did very well using it.
The students also completed some finger painting activities that demonstrated their understandings of what shapes look like and the names of the shapes.
Overall, it was a great week! The students did a terrific job participating in the activities and lessons. I was very impressed.
We worked on drawing triangles, squares, rectangles, ovals and circles which they did a job on. I was surprised how quickly they were able to identify the shapes. I used the interactive SmartBoard and had the students come up and "connect the dots" of different shapes. They also had to tell me the name of the shape that they were connecting the dots to. It was a great informal assessment to see if they had any confusions or misunderstandings. The students enjoyed coming up and using the SmartBoard. I am planning on using it in many more lessons since they did very well using it.
The students also completed some finger painting activities that demonstrated their understandings of what shapes look like and the names of the shapes.
Overall, it was a great week! The students did a terrific job participating in the activities and lessons. I was very impressed.
Week 13 reflection
We continued to work on our Community Workers Unit and Number Identification Unit. The students are continuing to learn their numbers, they are doing a great job!
Monday through Wednesday, instead of a numbers unit, I introduced the students "Words Around Our Town" Book. As a class the students looked through newspapers and cut out words that they could read that were in certain catergories (restaurants, stores, food, candy, signs, and more). The students worked as a class to search, cut out, and paste their pictures. After they finished the book, I cut it out and laminated it. It will become a take home book for the studnets to use. They are very eager to take it home.
On Thursday and Friday, we continued our numbers unit. The students played a number game in which I layed out numbers 0 to 10. They had to flip a penny or a bean bag and whatever number it landed beside they needed to identify it. They also had to count to that number as they walked beside the paper numbers. They could also dance, hop, be silly, etc. They were not allowed to jump though because I did not want anyone to get hurt.
Overall it was a very good week. I am seeing the students improve each day with their number identification skills. :)
Monday through Wednesday, instead of a numbers unit, I introduced the students "Words Around Our Town" Book. As a class the students looked through newspapers and cut out words that they could read that were in certain catergories (restaurants, stores, food, candy, signs, and more). The students worked as a class to search, cut out, and paste their pictures. After they finished the book, I cut it out and laminated it. It will become a take home book for the studnets to use. They are very eager to take it home.
On Thursday and Friday, we continued our numbers unit. The students played a number game in which I layed out numbers 0 to 10. They had to flip a penny or a bean bag and whatever number it landed beside they needed to identify it. They also had to count to that number as they walked beside the paper numbers. They could also dance, hop, be silly, etc. They were not allowed to jump though because I did not want anyone to get hurt.
Overall it was a very good week. I am seeing the students improve each day with their number identification skills. :)
Week 12 reflection
This week I continued to teach the students about community workers and number identification.
On Monday, for my math lesson, I had the students listen to the story : Ten Little Ladybugs. After we read the story, we reread it and counted how many ladybugs we saw. I kept pointing out the numbers on each of the pages to remind the students what they stood for. After reading the story the students were given game pieces of flowers and ladybugs. They had to match the number of dots on the ladybug to each flower piece.
Overall the students did a great job on the activity. JL did not follow directions while playing the game so I had to take his game pices. I offered him another chance to participate in which he refused to so I had to make him pull a card. SD did not follow directions very well either. I had to constantly remind him to listen and to pay attention. I am constantly having trouble keeping him engaged. I keep thinking, "How can I keep him interested in the lessons?" Everyone else did a wonderful job!
On Tuesday, we read Chicka Chicka 123. I passed out apple trees and numbers. The students had to use the numbers and move them up the apple tree as I read the story. They had to be very good listeners. Everyone participated and listened during this activity. They did a great job!
On Thursday, we read Ten Black Dots. The students talked about the different numbers on each page and the pictures that it formed. The students had to count the number of dots on each page. After the story, I assigned each student a specific number of dots in which they had to design a picture. Most students were able to do this with ease. SM had a hard time coming up with something, DE did also. Everyone else was able to and their pictures turned out great. DE was talking and yelling at other students so I had to warn him.
On Friday, I had the students complete a social studies/literacy activity so we did not work on math.
Overall it was a great week. The studnets are starting to learn their numbers. I see improvements each and every day.
On Monday, for my math lesson, I had the students listen to the story : Ten Little Ladybugs. After we read the story, we reread it and counted how many ladybugs we saw. I kept pointing out the numbers on each of the pages to remind the students what they stood for. After reading the story the students were given game pieces of flowers and ladybugs. They had to match the number of dots on the ladybug to each flower piece.
Overall the students did a great job on the activity. JL did not follow directions while playing the game so I had to take his game pices. I offered him another chance to participate in which he refused to so I had to make him pull a card. SD did not follow directions very well either. I had to constantly remind him to listen and to pay attention. I am constantly having trouble keeping him engaged. I keep thinking, "How can I keep him interested in the lessons?" Everyone else did a wonderful job!
On Tuesday, we read Chicka Chicka 123. I passed out apple trees and numbers. The students had to use the numbers and move them up the apple tree as I read the story. They had to be very good listeners. Everyone participated and listened during this activity. They did a great job!
On Thursday, we read Ten Black Dots. The students talked about the different numbers on each page and the pictures that it formed. The students had to count the number of dots on each page. After the story, I assigned each student a specific number of dots in which they had to design a picture. Most students were able to do this with ease. SM had a hard time coming up with something, DE did also. Everyone else was able to and their pictures turned out great. DE was talking and yelling at other students so I had to warn him.
On Friday, I had the students complete a social studies/literacy activity so we did not work on math.
Overall it was a great week. The studnets are starting to learn their numbers. I see improvements each and every day.
Week 11 reflection
We continued to work on patterns Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. On Monday we used the M&M Pattern Book to work on patterns. The students used paper M&M's that I had made to follow along with the book. They made many different patterns. A couple of the student had trouble staying on task. One of my students would not answer my question on what a pattern is. He said that he did not know however I know he does. I pulled him aside during the lesson and talked to him about what a pattern was.
On Tuesday we read the book: Fish Patterns. The students were read a pattern and they had to say the rest of what the pattern was outloud. It was a great way to check to see if they truly understood what a patern was. "DM" talked during my entire station. He was warned that if he talked again, he would be pulling a card. "SD" was also mumbling under his breath constantly and was told if he had something to say he needed to raise his hand. The students were given fish worksheet type activities where they used crayons/markers to color a pattern on the fish's body. It was a great way to check for understanding.
The studnets loved making their cd fish on Wednesday. It was an extension from the fish pattern lesson on Tuesday. They also listened very well. Participation was awesome from each student.
On Thursday the studnets were tested to see if they could identify numbers. After testing them we started to look for numbers around our classroom. The students found the clock, calendar, posters, number line, etc. I used number cards and havd the studnets say what the number was on each card as I showed it to them. They had a great time and did not even realize that they were learning.
Friday we looked through the counting book box. We talked about all of the books in the box briefly. Then I passed out newspaper and the students looked for numbers throughtout it. "SM" started off by coloring in letters but after having a discussion with me on what numbers are, she was able to find and identify most of them. :)
Overall it was a succesfful week. I keep thinking: "How should/could I best help my students with number identification?"
On Tuesday we read the book: Fish Patterns. The students were read a pattern and they had to say the rest of what the pattern was outloud. It was a great way to check to see if they truly understood what a patern was. "DM" talked during my entire station. He was warned that if he talked again, he would be pulling a card. "SD" was also mumbling under his breath constantly and was told if he had something to say he needed to raise his hand. The students were given fish worksheet type activities where they used crayons/markers to color a pattern on the fish's body. It was a great way to check for understanding.
The studnets loved making their cd fish on Wednesday. It was an extension from the fish pattern lesson on Tuesday. They also listened very well. Participation was awesome from each student.
On Thursday the studnets were tested to see if they could identify numbers. After testing them we started to look for numbers around our classroom. The students found the clock, calendar, posters, number line, etc. I used number cards and havd the studnets say what the number was on each card as I showed it to them. They had a great time and did not even realize that they were learning.
Friday we looked through the counting book box. We talked about all of the books in the box briefly. Then I passed out newspaper and the students looked for numbers throughtout it. "SM" started off by coloring in letters but after having a discussion with me on what numbers are, she was able to find and identify most of them. :)
Overall it was a succesfful week. I keep thinking: "How should/could I best help my students with number identification?"
Week 10 reflection
I missed four days this week because of the swine flu. So the only day I was at woodburn was on friday.
On Friday, I continued to teach the students about patterns. We also learned about critical thinking, history of candy, and problem solving. I had the students complete an activity on candy corn. We used the candy corn to talk about its history (it has been made over 100 years, you can buy it all year long, etc.) The students really liked the facts. Next, I had them try a piece of candy corn so that they know what it tastes like. From this, we made a venn diagram comparing candy corn and corn. They were able to identify the similarities/differences instantly. Finally, I had them color 6 different pieces of candy corn 6 different ways. As other class members finished, we put them in "pattern lines" so that we could look at all of the different patterns that candy corn can make.
The activity went very well. A couple of the students told me that they disliked candy corn before even trying it, so I had to persuade them to try it. After they did, they liked it. I was left wondering, "How often do we say that we don't like things but usually have never tried or experienced them?"
On Friday, I continued to teach the students about patterns. We also learned about critical thinking, history of candy, and problem solving. I had the students complete an activity on candy corn. We used the candy corn to talk about its history (it has been made over 100 years, you can buy it all year long, etc.) The students really liked the facts. Next, I had them try a piece of candy corn so that they know what it tastes like. From this, we made a venn diagram comparing candy corn and corn. They were able to identify the similarities/differences instantly. Finally, I had them color 6 different pieces of candy corn 6 different ways. As other class members finished, we put them in "pattern lines" so that we could look at all of the different patterns that candy corn can make.
The activity went very well. A couple of the students told me that they disliked candy corn before even trying it, so I had to persuade them to try it. After they did, they liked it. I was left wondering, "How often do we say that we don't like things but usually have never tried or experienced them?"
Week 14 reflection
This week we finished up number identification (for my AR).
On Monday (Nov 30), the students played a "I have who has" game. The students were given cards which said "I have ____, who has ____". They had to read the sentence and the numbers. Everyone else had to listen carefully for their own numbers. The students really enjoyed the game. It especially helped group 3 because they had to listen for their numbers and practice identifying the ones that they were still struggling with. The participation was overall good. DE was talking, SM was not following directions or listening, and SD was also not following directions/listening.
On Tuesday (Dec 1), we worked on the numbers 0, 1, and 2. We used cheerios and talked about how many were in the students cups. First they had zero. What does zero mean? It means none. Then I placed 1 in their cups and had them look and see how many they had. Then I placed 2 in their cups. Each time they had to look and count how many that they had. I also had them draw a berry tree to show the number of berries that we talked about for the day. Participation was alright. AM was talking and DS was talking.
On Wednesday we did the same activity but with numbers 3,4, 5 and 6. DS, JR, SM, SD were all talking and not following directions. I had to take DS's cup away from her for repeatedly talking over me.
On Thursday, we completed the activity with numbers 7,8,9 and 10. Groups 1 and 3 did very well and followed directions. Group 2 did not do well at all with listening and following directions. I had to take all of their cheerio cups and throw them away. Although it sounds mean and shocking, it worked. The students started to listen. I had 8 students who were trying to take over the group by eating all of their cheerios when i said one, hitting the cups off the table, etc. This had never happened before but I felt that I did the correct thing.
On Friday the students placed I spy. Most of the students did a great job. JL was kicked out of the group for talking over me four times. He was not happy but when I allowed him to come back I did not have any more problems. The students enjoyed looking around the room at all of the different numbers.
I also completed my post assessment on numbers on Friday.
On Monday (Nov 30), the students played a "I have who has" game. The students were given cards which said "I have ____, who has ____". They had to read the sentence and the numbers. Everyone else had to listen carefully for their own numbers. The students really enjoyed the game. It especially helped group 3 because they had to listen for their numbers and practice identifying the ones that they were still struggling with. The participation was overall good. DE was talking, SM was not following directions or listening, and SD was also not following directions/listening.
On Tuesday (Dec 1), we worked on the numbers 0, 1, and 2. We used cheerios and talked about how many were in the students cups. First they had zero. What does zero mean? It means none. Then I placed 1 in their cups and had them look and see how many they had. Then I placed 2 in their cups. Each time they had to look and count how many that they had. I also had them draw a berry tree to show the number of berries that we talked about for the day. Participation was alright. AM was talking and DS was talking.
On Wednesday we did the same activity but with numbers 3,4, 5 and 6. DS, JR, SM, SD were all talking and not following directions. I had to take DS's cup away from her for repeatedly talking over me.
On Thursday, we completed the activity with numbers 7,8,9 and 10. Groups 1 and 3 did very well and followed directions. Group 2 did not do well at all with listening and following directions. I had to take all of their cheerio cups and throw them away. Although it sounds mean and shocking, it worked. The students started to listen. I had 8 students who were trying to take over the group by eating all of their cheerios when i said one, hitting the cups off the table, etc. This had never happened before but I felt that I did the correct thing.
On Friday the students placed I spy. Most of the students did a great job. JL was kicked out of the group for talking over me four times. He was not happy but when I allowed him to come back I did not have any more problems. The students enjoyed looking around the room at all of the different numbers.
I also completed my post assessment on numbers on Friday.
Week 15 reflection
This was my last full week of teaching. I finished all of my action research last week so this week I focused on literacy cso's.
On Monday- I worked on writing with the students. I read them: Peanut Butter Jelly. The students loved the book because it relates to one of their favorite sandwiches. We talked about the book and then I had them write their favorite type of sandwich. They had to write a sentence. First they told me what it was, I wrote down the different types and then they copied to word. For kindergarten this is a pretty hard task for some of them. Most of them did a great job!
On Tuesday we talked about the beginning, middle and end of stories. This was a hard concept for some of them. They also had to write the sentence, "I would make a _____ cake". They copied from a list of words that I had. We also read "The Bunny Cakes".
Wednesday we talked about pizzas. I had them write their favorite topping of pizza and also had them draw me a picture of the perfect pizza.
On Thursday we read, "Stone Soup". I had the students think of how they could change the ending of the story. Some students said that they would make the rock change into meat. Some said they would have the man stay and never leave. It was great to see the creativity. I kept wondering: What else can I do to motivate them to come out of their comfort zone and be more creative?
On Friday, we talked about different rhymes. I read two sentences and had the students find the two words that rhymed. They also had to act out the rhyme, "Old Mister Rabbit". I had them draw the vegetable garden. Then one student at a time was the rabbit when everyone else was the garden.
This week I was able to try new lessons that I never had the chance to do before. I learned alot about different teaching styles and really enjoyed it. The students really enjoyed them also.
On Monday- I worked on writing with the students. I read them: Peanut Butter Jelly. The students loved the book because it relates to one of their favorite sandwiches. We talked about the book and then I had them write their favorite type of sandwich. They had to write a sentence. First they told me what it was, I wrote down the different types and then they copied to word. For kindergarten this is a pretty hard task for some of them. Most of them did a great job!
On Tuesday we talked about the beginning, middle and end of stories. This was a hard concept for some of them. They also had to write the sentence, "I would make a _____ cake". They copied from a list of words that I had. We also read "The Bunny Cakes".
Wednesday we talked about pizzas. I had them write their favorite topping of pizza and also had them draw me a picture of the perfect pizza.
On Thursday we read, "Stone Soup". I had the students think of how they could change the ending of the story. Some students said that they would make the rock change into meat. Some said they would have the man stay and never leave. It was great to see the creativity. I kept wondering: What else can I do to motivate them to come out of their comfort zone and be more creative?
On Friday, we talked about different rhymes. I read two sentences and had the students find the two words that rhymed. They also had to act out the rhyme, "Old Mister Rabbit". I had them draw the vegetable garden. Then one student at a time was the rabbit when everyone else was the garden.
This week I was able to try new lessons that I never had the chance to do before. I learned alot about different teaching styles and really enjoyed it. The students really enjoyed them also.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)