Finishing the journey strong-Final Blog Reflection

Final Reflection-

        I have learned so many valuable lessons from taking ED 3120:Social Studies methods with Dr.Smirnova. When I first started this course, even though I am a technology major, I was still nervous about using tools that were not familiar to me. Dr.Smirnova introduced us to blogger to write our reflections from each class in. At first, I thought this was really unproductive. I did not understand the purpose of reflecting on my work. But as I learned in class, that journal writing is actually a method/strategy used in in formative assessment. I also learned how to improve my lesson plan writing. By doing 6 different lessons, I now understand the importance of lesson plans and its requirements. Although, I would say this was the most struggle for me. I never seemed to write  perfect objectives, I would always be missing a certain element. Even though I would get really frustrated, this was good for me to learn because lesson planning takes time and practice. I walk away with knowing how to access and use so many valuable technology tools. As an IT major, I was always very excited to learn about new technology tools. I hope to use all the tools I have learned about from Dr.Smirnova and apply them in my social studies lessons. It will also help me achieve my goals of being a teacher of technology for students with special needs. Field work was also an interesting experience. It taught me how to work patiently with others and that teaching as well, takes practice. 
        Field work had its ups and downs as well. I think an up for me is that I took on the role of group manager. It felt good that I encouraged everyone to put effort into their work and teaching. It had its downs because sometimes we were not as well prepared for our lesson. I learned from the mistakes I made during field work, and I hope that I have learned my lesson from them. 
       The kind of SS classroom I want to create is a fun learning environment. Social studies was my favorite subject in elementary school, and I want to inspire my students to love it as much as I do. A lot of students think social studies is really boring, but it doesnt have to. With the proper technology, learning methods/strategies, and activities, students can have fun learning social studies. I hope that I will engage my students in active social studies learning. I hope to do this through fun projects and field trips. I walk away from social studies methods carrying tools with me all throughout my teaching career. 

a BIG Thank You to Dr.Smirnova!!!

Exploring Native American Tribes

Reflection on the Native American Jigsaw project. Class date-11/18/13

My Powerpoint
Quiz
For Monday's class, we worked on our Native American Jigsaw project. For the first 10 minutes of class, Dr.Smirnova allowed us to spend time with our expert groups. My expert group was on the Mohican Indians and I worked with Anne and Caitlyn. We put together a powerpoint presentation with facts we learned about the Mohican Indians. After we completed putting together our presentation, we went back into the other groups we were in. I was in the first group with Alex,Ericka,Amanda, Tara, and Courtney. We all shared our presentations and taught each other. After each teacher taught their lesson, we took short quizzes about the material they had covered. 
This is a summary of what each person did in their presentations. I have also included my reflections and rating of each presentation. 

Alex- Alex taught us about the Seneca Tribe. The Seneca Tribe was a Matriarchal tribe which meant women were in charge. They lived throughout the finger lakes in New York. The Seneca tribe had their own offical language called "Ogwehoweh". They wore traditional Native American Clothing. They ate "the three sisters" (beans, corn, squash). They lived in longhouses and used canoes for transportation. There were many chiefs who were famous in the Seneca Tribe. My rating for Alex would be a 5. She was very knowledgeable about the content she addressed. I learned a lot from her presentation. Alex pre-assessed our knowledge throughout the presentation. I thought it was interesting how the Seneca tribe was run by women. Good job Alex!

Ericka- Ericka presented her presentation on the Cayuga tribe. The Cayuga tribe was made up of 5 clans. Lived near the Finger Lakes in New York in longhouses. They were known as "people of the swamp". They had their own language and their religion was worshiping Orenda. Chief Logan was a famous person of this tribe. The Cayugas also ate the "three sisters" and hunted animals for food. They wore traditional Native American clothing. My rating for Ericka would be a 5. I thought Ericka did a nice job clearly explaining all the information on her slides. I also enjoyed the video that her group added about the long houses. Ericka also did a nice transition for her beginning to middle to end of the presentation. Good job Ericka!

Amanda- Amanda had the Oneida tribe. The Oneida tribe lived in New York near the Oneida Lake.They spoke their own language. The tribe hunted and made raw materials. They were known for their cornbread recipes and stews. They lived in longhouses as well. The men and women wore different types of clothing made of animal skins in the winter to keep warm. My rating for Amanda is a 5. She gave a nice, brief, overview of the Oneida tribe. Amanda spoke clearly and had a lot of interest in her information. Good job Amanda!

Tara- Tara did her presentation on the Munsee Tribe. The Munsee tribe lived mainly in the New York state tri-region. They were known as "Christians". They spoke the language, Algonkian. Women were farmers and men were hunters.  They lived in wigwams. Wore traditional Indian clothing such as headpieces and moccasins. Ate foods that they farmed and hunted. They would take steam baths as remedies. I would give Tara a 5 on her presentation. I learned a lot of new information on the Munsee tribe. Tara was very knowledgeable of the content. Also, I enjoyed the resources the group provided in their presentation. Good job Tara!

Courtney- Courtney did her research and presentation on the Mohawk Tribe. The Mohawk Tribe lived near the great lakes. They fought during the US revolution. The Mohawk tribe was also the original tribe of NY. They spoke Iroquoian language. Their Religion they believed in was worshiping God Hahgwehdiyu. They created the game lacrosse. Men wore the Mohawk hair style. I am giving Courtney a rating of 5. I think she did a nice job explaining the information about the Mohawks. She made the presentation really interesting and I learned new facts. Good job Courtney!

My Summary about the Mohican Indians: 
The Mohican Indians lived in wigwams along the Hudson Valley in New York. They had their own language. They had many Religious beliefs. They wore traditional Indian clothing and moccasins. The Mohican Indians were known for recipes that included trail mix, cornbread,and soup. Famous people of the Mohican Indians included: Mohican Etowaukaum (Nicholas) and Mohawk Hendrick (whose father was a Mohican). They went to England to tell Queen Ann about their missions. 

My reflection on the experience:
I really enjoyed doing this jigsaw activity. I think it was a good idea how we got into small groups to find our information with and then presented it to a bigger group. I like that there were guidelines for us to follow so we knew what we needed to focus on in our research. While conducting my research, I learned a lot of interesting and new things about the Mohican Indians. I find their culture really interesting, and I am glad I got to research their tribe. I liked the presentation portion because it was between 5 people and it made it less intimidating instead of presenting to the whole class. I learned how the cooperate jigsaw process works. Everyone has a piece of the puzzle and then when they add their piece with information, they complete the puzzle!

These were the responses we got from students taking our quiz about the Mohican Indians-

Give the World a Hug!

Class- Monday, 11/11/13


     We started off Monday's class by standing in a circle. Dr.Smirnova has holding a soft globe. She said that each person had to throw the ball to someone. When the person caught the ball, they would have to hug it, and discuss an issue that is going on in the world, and as a teacher how would you address this issue to your class. Each person had a different cause they would like to change in the world and these topics ranged from: animals, nature, weather, people, etc. My issue in the world was that women in different countries are not allowed to have an education. As a teacher the way I would bring awareness to my students about this is by letting students know how grateful they should be that they have an opportunity to get an equal education in America. I suggested that my students could write letters to women in other countries and give them positive thoughts and inspire them to never give up. I really enjoyed this activity. It was great to hear everyone's opinion about what issues they are concerned with and what they would want to bring awareness to. I think this is a great activity to do with children. It pre-assesses their knowledge about Geography and Global awareness. It also gets the students up out of their seats and gets their minds thinking. I like how we "hug" the globe, because we only have one earth and we need to protect it! 
       After doing the globe activity, we went back to our seats and took quizzes using JogNog. One quiz was based on all geography questions. There were three levels. You could not reach the next level until you passed the previous one. The next quiz was based on random facts. I had fun taking the quiz, it was fairly simple. I think this is a fun approach to quiz making and fun for students to take as well. After taking our quizzes, Dr.Smirnova introduced the next activity we would be doing. We will be doing the Native American Jigsaw Puzzle project. We picked our expert groups, I picked the "Mochian tribe". We would continue this project on Friday.


Class-& Friday, 11/15/13
"Native American Jigsaw Project"
Today in class we continued with our Native American Jigsaw projects. I am in the expert group the "Mochians". I am working with Anne and Caitlyn. Dr.Smirnova gave us the time in class to research. We have to create a powerpoint presentation and add in research based on certain criteria which included: history, geography, culture, food, habitat, and famous people. So far, we have collected several pictures and gathered information that we have incorporated into the powerpoint. We will be presenting our finding to the class on Monday.

Chapter 12-Geography Self-Test Reflection

Reflection on Self Test Chapter 12" How do I Engage Students in Interpreting the Earth and Its People Through Geography?"

      I took the self-test on Chapter 12 (Chapter 13) which was related to the topic of Geography. Geography contains 5 main themes: 1)Location, 2)Place, 3)Relationships, 4)Movement, 5)Regions. The self quiz contained questions based on these themes. Some questions also pertained on how teachers can teach concepts in geography such as the use of maps and globes. The questions also asked what a teacher could do during a geography lesson. Something new I learned from taking this quiz is that you can measure the size of a location on a globe by using a piece of string. I thought this quiz was fairly easy. I did not find any of the questions too difficult.

Finding Current Events in Newspaper articles

Reflection on Current Events Project- Wed, November 13, 2013
-Google Presentation
-Phrases

For the current events project, I worked with Laura and Rachel. Our process started by looking at some newspaper articles on Newsela and TweenTribune. Dr.Smirnova suggested other materials for us to look at. Among these resources were: New York times and Times Herald Record. Dr.Smirnova suggested that we pick out articles that can relate to the topic we were learning in class, which was geography. She also suggested that we can use a treasure hunt for the activity.
      We researched some articles on New York Times. We picked 4 very interesting articles that related to local, national, and international news. These were our articles (with links): 

"Robbery Attempt Preceded Ice Rink Shooting, Police Say",  A Powerful "Typhoon Speeds Across the Philippines", "Spanish Message With One Word That Needs No Translation",  Army Suspends R.O.T.C. Closings at 13 Universities

     We decided that we would split the class into four groups. Each group would be given an article to present and talk about, but they had to find it first. We told the class to read all 4 articles before class for homework. Then we chose 3-4 phrases in each article. We then printed out the phrases on pieces of paper. In class, we handed each group their phrases. They had to search all four articles to find their phrases that fit one of the articles, and then they would find their article. Once they found their article, they had to follow the guidelines we provided for their presentation. 

       Rachel, Laura, and I presented this to the class on Wed. November 13,2013. I began the presentation by pre-assessing the students' knowledge about different types of news. I asked the class if they knew what global news meant. They gave me various answers, and I supported their answers and added the definition I had- "Global news is news that takes place in different countries and places around the world. examples- China, Europe, Philippines . Next, I asked if they knew what state news was. I received their answers and supported them by telling them: "state news is news that takes place in a certain state. examples- New York, Texas, Florida". The next type of news I asked about was local news. The students told me what state news consisted of, and I supported their answers by saying: "Local- news is news that takes place in a local area or region. example- Manhattan, Newburgh. Then, I pre-assessed students' knowledge about maps. I first showed the students what a global map looked like. I asked students if they knew what kind of news this would fall under, and they said global or international. Then I asked students if they knew what the next map was, which was a map of the United Stated. Then I asked the class if they knew what kind of news it would be categorized as. Then I showed students a map of New York, they had a little bit of a struggle with this one. I told the students that it was a map of New York and it would be categorized as state or local news.
Laura then told the class the directions to the assignment and split the students in the groups we put them in before hand to save time. We also prepared a checklist for the groups to look at so they knew what they needed to cover in their presentation. Rachel told the groups that the criteria included: The name of the article and author, Tell if it is World/Global, State, Local news (local, national, international, etc), Say the phrases assigned to your group, and Give a summary of the article. We gave the groups 10 minutes to do their research.
As students were doing their research, we walked around the room and provided guided practice to each of the groups. We answered any questions the groups had, and we also provided positive feedback to the groups as they were working. When time was up, each group presented their findings. We also had one person from each group come to the board and point out which map they would use based on where the location of their article was. Each group hit the criteria points we were looking for. For homework, we told the groups to summarize their articles and experiences on e-class. Rachel also showed the class a resource, TweenTribune, that provided articles and lesson plans based on the common core standards.

Reflection on this experience:
I really enjoyed this experience on this project overall. At first, it was a struggle because we did not know what resource or method of teaching to use. With Dr.Smirnova's recommendations, we were able to have a more clearer perception of what was expected. What I learned from doing this current events project is that it is important to have students look at different types of news for current event assignments. I think that it is good for students to understand not only what is happening in the community around them, but what is happening in communities far away from them. It is important for children to see news that is happening in nationally and internationally. Students get a perspective of what is happening to other people in different countries, and how it is different from life in the United States. I am glad that we gave one of the groups an article about the Typhoon that hit the Philippines. It is important to bring about awareness of how severe the situation in the country was. I think that using New York times is good for older grades to read (4th-6th). For younger grades, I would use Newsela or TweenTribune because they are more kid-friendly and understandable for that grade level. I am glad that we incorporated the topic that we were learning in class: geography. For reading our textbook I learned that the 5 themes of geography are: Location, Place, Relationships, Movement, and Regions. These 5 themes are found when reading newspaper articles. When I am going to teach social studies to my students, I will have them point out the 5 themes that they found in their articles and how they relate to each other. I think it is also important to make students aware of the different maps there are. I was glad that we did this as a pre-assessment activity with the class. I would want my students to be able to identify what kind of map they would use when reading newspaper articles, because it gives them a sense of the location that the news is taking place in. I liked our method of teaching/learning that we chose: research. Research is very important for students. For our activity, students had to research what was in their article. By doing this, students gain more information and learn various facts. By doing research, students just do not just find the answers right away, they have to take time and look in-depth to what they need to achieve. I also enjoyed working collaboratively with my other 2 teachers, we were able to execute our ideas clearly.

Our Last Day at Field Work

Our Last Day at Field Work:11/6/13
         Today was our last day with Mrs.Benfer's 4th grade class at Bishop Dunn Memorial. In order to prepare for this celebration we had with the class, each group prepared certificates for the students. The picture shown above is the certificate we handed to the students. To begin the class, each group reviewed material with the students based on their lessons. After reviewing and pre-assessing the students' knowledge, we administered the post tests for the students to take on the computer. Each teacher went around and assisted the students if they needed help. After the students took their post-test, some teachers said a thank you to the class and shared what they have learned through this experience. Then we presented the students with their certificates. We also thanked Mrs.Benfer for allowing us to come into her classroom and for all her help.

Reflection on this experience: Through the ups and downs of this process, I walked away with more knowledge about teaching then when I started. Teaching is not an easy job, especially when you are collaborating with 5 other teachers and trying to teach at the same time. It was interesting how we had to divide parts of the lesson for each teacher to present. I thanked the students for their patience, because it can get frustrating listening to 1 teacher, none the less 5 teachers at once. I think Mrs.Benfer has a well organized and well mannered group of students. She is a great teacher, leader, and role model. The students were very cooperative, smart, and dedicated to learning. These students made our jobs as teachers easier and more enjoyable. These students were willing to learn and excited about our lessons on Social Studies. I know I have done a good job as a teacher when a student tells me they enjoyed the lesson and had fun. That is the most important goal to me-for children to have fun while learning. I am also glad that Mrs.Benfer enjoyed our lessons as well. She would always give us positive compliments on how great she thought our lessons were. She even told us how she would love to use some of our lessons in her own teaching! This was really reassuring to hear from a teacher. This gave me a positive outlook on my journey to becoming a teacher. Throughout this journey, I have grown as a teacher. I learned from my mistakes in each lesson. The students taught me something new everyday, and for that, I am grateful. Also, Dr.Smirnova played a great role in our journey as well. She helped us and gave us the advice we needed in order to create great lessons and become awesome teachers. 
Thank You Dr.Smirnova, Mrs.Benfer, and the 4th grade class!

Cooperative Lesson-Creating Declarations!

Monday, 11/4/13
Reflection on teaching:
Day 3-Cooperative Learning
Topic: "The Declaration of Independence"
Lesson Plan
Presentation
Materials-Declaration sheet,homework,group evaluation form

      Today, my group and I presented our cooperative learning lesson. The main goal for this lesson was for students to learn about the different parts of the declaration and be able to write their own declarations. I started the beginning of the lesson by pre-assessed students' knowledge by first asking them what they remember from last session. Then I showed the students a picture of the Declaration and asked them if they remembered what the picture was. When the students told me "Declaration of Independence", I then asked them to define what the word "declaration" means. Then Laura went into the development and explained what the 5 parts of the Declaration of Independence included. The 5 parts are: 1) The Introduction, 2) The Preamble ,3)The Indictment, 4)The Denunciation, 5)The Conclusion. Rachel went over some key words that are found in the Declaration which include: rights, values, responsibilities,and freedom. Anne described how to work together in groups. She explained the value of "PIGS" : positive interdependence, individual accountability, group processing, and social skills. Then Rachel explained the directions to the students. The students were being split up into 5 groups. Each group would be assigned a different part of the Declaration to write. The students wrote their own Declarations based on getting freedom from their parents. The students had 10 minutes to complete the assignment. When the time was up, the closure of the lesson was for the students to present their parts. They went in order of how the actual Declaration is written. Together, they all created their own Declaration of Independence! We collected their papers, and typed their Declarations out for them to keep. The students were presented with group evaluation forms. This allowed them to give constructive criticism of their group members and rate their overall performance.

Group Reflection: I felt that we were much more organized this lesson. Both of our lessons ran smoothly. We were able to transition easily and more quickly. We actually got to finish our lessons on time. The students told us they had fun doing the project as well. Each of us sat with each group and helped them come up with ideas. With our guided practice, students were able to construct good ideas that made a great Declaration. During this lesson, we also were able to communicate and help each other out more. If someone did not know something, another teacher would help them. I was overall satisfied with our performance today as a group. We got our lesson across in a clear and easily flowing manner. Things we can improve upon: we need to check each paper before we print it out. There was a typo on the group evaluation form. Even though a typo could be such a simple mistake, it turned out to confuse the students and we did not want that to happen. 

Reflection of my own teaching: I feel that this lesson was probably the best out of all my teachings. I used the correct terms and did not stumble over my words. I was also able to help my other group members out when they needed assistance while they were teaching. I enjoyed working with the students during guided practice. This allowed me to give individualized help to the students. I was able to provide the students with thoughts and ideas in order to construct their parts of the Declaration. When I was giving directions, I think I did a good job of clearly explaining them to the students.