November 21, 2010

This past week in class was great!  We incorporated art into our lesson and we ended up using it for a few lesson plans (a few days).  Mine and my partners assignment was to teach social studies for 5 lesson plans and incorporating art in social studies can be difficult, but we made it happen, and made it so all of the students LOVED it.  

The American Revolution is what we've been teaching the kids for the last couple weeks, and something that we really wanted to find was a Reader's Theater about the American Revolution.  Well, since the Internet has everything anyone could ask for, we were able to find to one that went along perfectly with what we had been teaching.  When we told the students we would be doing a Reader's Theater they became so excited and really got into character.  We practiced everyday for 5 days and then performed the play on Friday for 2 classes and any parents who wanted to come.  The boys wore colonial hats and the girls wore aprons.  It was amazing.  

I truly believe that these students learned 100 times more by doing the Reader's Theater than if we would have just stood up at the front of the class and lectured.  It was something that they could get excited about and look forward to.  

Reflection #11

This past week has been another really great week in field.  My partner (Aubrey) and I have started teaching and have already taught 3 times.  The subject we have been given is the Stamp Act and the Boston Tea Party, and then everything in between as well.  I've never been a huge Social Studies fan, but teaching 5th graders is really fun.  They don't care to know every detail, and the information is explained very basically.  I think if high school students were taught the same way as elementary students (in Social Studies) then our high school graduating classes would know more about our countries history (and other countries histories).  

One of our lessons that we did was we gave each student 15 tootsie rolls. Then we told them that they were the colonists and we were the British Parliament-we would be taxing them on certain things.  We taxed them on what color hair they had, what they were wearing, what gender they were, etc.  The students got really into this lesson and got very upset.  We explained to them that this is what the colonists felt like.  They were being taxed on things that they didn't feel were right.  They were being treated unfairly and poorly.  

I've really enjoyed teaching the 5th graders in my class and have learned so much from them and from teaching them.  They're a great bunch of kids and they behave wonderfully.  I can't wait until next week!

Reflection #10

Since we're in field now I'm just going to blog without the what, so what, and now what. I've been in field for 4 days now, and it's great. There's so much information to take in and so many things to learn from my field teacher, Mrs. Bishop. Mrs. Bishop is a 5th grade teacher and this is her 16th year teaching. She's enthusiastic about teaching and loves her students to death. She really enjoys being in the classroom and being around kids all day, which takes a lot of patience, which she definitely has.
Something I have noticed, however, about the class, is that there isn't a ton of art. They focus a lot on math (an hour to an hour and a half every day) and on language arts. I have only been there from 8 am until noon so they may do more art after lunch. They also have one day a week where they go to an "art" class with an actual art teacher. They went today and they were really excited when it was time to go to art, which is a great thing. It's too bad that it's only once a week, but I guess that's better than never.
I look forward to learning more about Mrs. Bishop's class and learning ways that I feel comfortable teaching.

Reflection #9

What: This week (as in yesterday) we presented the songs we created and taught them to the entire class. Something I learned from doing this activity is that people remember things better when the information is put in to a song. There are many people who know the 50 states because of the "50 States" song, or prime numbers because they have been placed in a song, and so on. Music leaves such a large imprint in our minds and helps us remember things we learned weeks, months, and maybe years ago.
So What: Something I would really like to do when I'm a teacher is either make songs about main subjects or find songs that have already been made. When teaching about the presidents of the United States, a song would be really helpful. Or, learning about the water cycle is something that is hard to remember, and if a song was created about it (like Matt Jensen's group) then students (and myself) are more likely to remember the cycle. When students learn a song they sometimes don't even realize they are learning something new, but later when asked a question about it they can refer to the song.
Now What: The next steps for me would have to be to save any song I come across that teaches about something that would be taught in school, regardless of the grade. Also, I would like to experiment and try teaching songs to the students whom I will be student teaching. I will have many opportunities to do this while I still have 4 semesters of being in the schools. I am truly a believer in teaching students songs to remember information. I have experienced it first-hand and know, without a doubt, that it works (probably better than any other method).

Reflection #8

What: Music is something that should always be included in the classroom because of the spirit it brings.  Classical or peaceful music can calm a classroom so quickly and can also help students concentrate on their assignment.

So What: There are many ways I would like to use music in my future classroom.  One is during transitions while in the classroom.  When students transition from one activity to the next sometimes there is a lot of noise and commotion.  If as a teacher I were to put music that was quiet and calming, students would more likely be quiet and transition better. Another way music can be used in the classroom is when digital stories or vidcasts are made.  Using music in these kinds of instances help bring the mood of the video.  Students are able to capture the essence of something through the music (ex: somber, exciting, war-time, etc...). 

Now What: To prepare to do these things in my classroom I hope to really take advantage of times when teachers of my own play music during class. Also, I want to be on the lookout for music that helps me concentrate and get my assignments done, as well as music that helps calm me.  Anytime I hear a song that I like I want to download it to my computer and save it under a file specifically for "classroom music." Also, I want to be on the lookout for websites that provide free music and is music that children would enjoy.  I hope through some of my songs children are able to become a little more cultured.  

Reflection #7

What: There have been many things that I use to believe about art in the classroom that I have changed my mind about.  First of all, art can be used in anything.  It's awesome!  For our project we read "The Magic School Bus," and were able to incorporate art into the book SO many times.  I think when a teacher is teaching science students can easily become bored. However, if the teacher uses art to get the students excited about science then the kids are moving around, actually doing what they are being taught, and are really learning in a visual way.  

So What: I would love to use all of the dance activities that were used in the class last week.  The only down side to what we did in class was that we were changing activities so quickly and weren't able to grasp some of the activities as much as I would've liked to. Having the worksheet that my group made, though, will be a great guide for dance activities in class, regardless of what book is being or which subject is being taught.

Now What: I think the biggest way I can prepare for teaching my future students is incorporating art in as much as possible when I do my field experience.  Practicing this dance activities in a real classroom will really get me ready for when I have my own classroom some day.  I can also continue to listen for great new dance activities on a daily basis.  I could learn a new activity when least expected!

Reflection #6

What: Doing the dance section in class was a really fun activity and is something that every teacher needs to use regardless of what subject they teach.  I loved that you taught us that you can use dance in any subject, science, social studies, and maybe even math.  Using dance is really important because it allows students to loosen up and relax during class. It also allows students to be creative and innovative.  They have to use their imagination when a teacher asks them to "dance" something out.  As a teacher you can really bring fun to class when you include dance and the arts. Incorporating dance is great also because it gives students a chance to be well-rounded. 

So What: I am really excited to implement dance when I go out to field.  I think students will become a lot more excited about the material and excited that they can use their creativity.  Also, for next week I think our group is going to use a Magic School Bus book, which I loved as a child, as most children do.  They teach readers many things and grab the readers attention right from the beginning. 

Now What: To prepare for my future classroom I need to continue reading and finding children's books that include stories that can involve dancing.  I need to put these activities into action when I do my field observation and when I do my student teaching.  I also need to keep up on my own creativity and explore my inner "dance" self.