Week 9

3/5-3/9

What Happened

This week was not a normal one. There were many special events that changed up the schedule for the week so many adjustments were made. It was great experience to be able to adjust lessons and use flexibility to adapt the week. Some of the events this week included Robert Crown (health education lesson for all fifth graders), Accelerated Reader movie viewing, PARCC practice, and a Chorus field trip/assembly. 

The fifth graders were visited by a Robert Crown teacher who presented to the students on puberty and the reproductive system. Many of the students were very nervous prior to the presentation. My class is pretty quiet and reserved. Therefore, this type of thing is pretty far out of their comfort zone. I was impressed at how the presenter handled the situation. She was very relaxed and comforting to the students. She reassured them that it is okay to feel uncomfortable or awkward, but it is a part of life so there is no need to stress about it. The students were very intrigued by all of the information and I was impressed by how maturely they handled it all. I also enjoyed the presentation and getting a refresher on the stage of life they are currently going through as they go through puberty. It is important as a teacher to know where my students are at developmentally and what factors may be impacting them. 

The second trimester ended last week and almost everyone in the class met their Advanced Reader goals for the trimester. At the beginning of each trimester, each student chooses a goal for themselves and checks it with my cooperating teacher. They work towards this goal by reading at home and during independent reading time. I think this is a good way to teach students about making goals and working to achieve them. For students who made their goal, they were able to choose 1 of the 3 movies being shown in fifth grade classrooms. The fourth fifth grade classroom was a study hall for students who didn't achieve their goals. I thought that they movie was good in that the students enjoyed it and it helped them celebrate achieving their goals. However, in my Educational Psychology class we talked about how rewards like this can be dangerous. Also, a few of the teachers mentioned how their class was wound up the rest of the day after the movie.

One of the reading specialists also came into our classroom this week for some PARCC practice for Literacy. The lesson was pretty dry and the students were very disengaged. The material was over their heads and they were struggling to keep up with her. Seeing the PARCC practice was nice for me so I could get a better idea of what the test is like. I was able to see that the test is very demanding and why it is challenging for most students. It also caused me to see where teachers have a dilemma of "teaching to the test" because they want their students to be successful on the test, but not have that be the only focus. 

On Friday, 7 of my students were out for the day because of the chorus field trip and their was a chorus assembly later in the day. Several kids have been out with the flu as well. Therefore, we had to fill the day with more filler activities because of the number of kids out. I was able to assess my plans and adjust them to fit the situation with only 12 students for the day. I really enjoyed seeing some of my students participate in the chorus assembly and their hard work pay off. 

The student in my class with an IEP who has autism (has a para with him at all times) had a rough past couple weeks. He has had two in school suspension due to inappropriate behavior. His emotions have been unpredictable. Therefore, the special education team has decided to test out keeping him out of the classroom for the day and having him complete the work in the special education office. It has been challenging since plans don't always go as planned in the classroom so it can be difficult to relay what we will be doing to the team to keep him on track. It has been good experience for me to be able to collaborate with the special education team and my cooperating teacher to help best meet the needs of this student. 

What I learned

I learned how to assess my plans and make last minute changes do due to the number of kids that may be in class. I was able to fill time with phonics bingo so students were still working on spelling their words and defining them, but it wasn't a crucial activity that absent students would miss. With illnesses and special events days like this are bound to happen so it is important to know how to make necessary adjustments and decide what activities to choose.

I learned more about PARCC this week. We have talked about PARCC in my classes and I had a brief understanding of the test, but actually seeing sample questions really opened my eyes. I wasn't aware how detailed and intense of questions the task asks the students. The sample was asking for students to write essays using information from a test just for one question. I feel more informed on what they will be being assessed on and the format of the test. 

This week I also learned about some of the difficulties of full inclusion schools. I think that there are many benefits to the set up of a full inclusion school. However, some challenges come with it as well. When students are needing sensory breaks frequently and struggle to regulate their emotions, it can be difficult for them to stay in the classroom and keep up with the class work. However, when they are out of the classroom it is difficult to duplicate what is being done in class in a one on one environment. 

The students learned a lot from the Robert Crown presentation, but I did too. I learned more about where my students are at in this stage in their life, which can help explain some of their behaviors and allow me to understand them more. Teaching academics is important, but so is understanding the development of students and who they are as people. 

Goals

Last week one of my goals was to take the next step in classroom management. I decided on using tallies that each represent a minute of Friday earned free choice time. For each tally, a minute will be taken away from that time. I also allowed for students to earn a tally being erased for good behavior to include positive reinforcement. This worked great this week. After our discussion about their behavior last Friday, their self-reflection notes, and the new tally method things went much better with management this week. For my goal of being better at communicating with others, I feel that I am making good progress. I made sure to send my plans and assessments to the LBS far in advance for my student with an IEP and para. My goal for next week is to use story works in the Literacy block next week to help students with various Literacy skills.