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. 

Current Events-Military Style schools

Today's Class: October 30,2013
In today's class, Ericka, Lindsay, and Alex presented their current events for the week. Alex read an article to the class called:  “School's Military-Style Reboot Aims to Push Students Further". The article was about North Valley Military Institute located in Los Angeles, CA. At this school, they teach students military style. The school has a strict belief in discipline and rules. The article mentioned the different rules and demerits the students might get. The purpose for the school doing this is to get students to go to college. There were many arguments for and against this style used in schools. 
The teachers had the class listen to the article out loud twice. The first time, the class was to listen accurately to the article. The second time, the class had to practice note-taking skills and write down important facts while listening to the article. I thought this was a good way to reinforce note-taking skills for students. The teachers also reviewed the 5w's (who, what, when, where, and why)
This was my 3+ and a wish for this group:

Dear Ericka, Lindsay, Alex

+1. The presentation was organized

+2. I like how you practiced note taking skills

+3. All teachers had a loud and clear voice

I wish Alex could have slowed down a little when reading the article. 

Good Job!

-Bri

Inquiry Lesson Plan-"Mystery at the Museum"

Reflection on Teaching: Day 2: Inquiry Lesson-

"MYSTERY AT THE MUSEUM" 

Topic: Authors of the Declaration of Independence. 

Lesson Plan

Presentation

"Detective Report Cards" 

Homework Sheets

11/1/13-

     Today, my group and I presented our inquiry lesson plan to the 4th grade at Bishop Dunn Memorial. The main goal of our lesson was to teach about the authors of the Declaration of Independence. We decided to create a treasure hunt as the activity for this inquiry lesson. We presented a problem to the students-a museum lost 5 statues of the authors of the Declaration of Independence. The students' jobs were to look at clues on an author of the Declaration. Students had to make a hypothesis based on clues they were given. Then the students had to research these clues and come to a conclusion if their hypothesis was right or wrong. For closure, students would present their findings to the class. 

Group Reflection: For this lesson, as a group I felt we could have been more organized. We needed to practice more our roles during the lesson. When we taught the 1st half of the class, we were not prepared with the website we needed for our demonstration author. Because of this, we took up too much time during the presentation. Things I think we did well with: I am glad we had pulled up the websites the students needed to look at. It saved the students a lot of time and confusion. The "detective reports" were a good idea because it keep the students on track and organized as they were getting information for their research. For the both times we taught, for the closure, it became disorganized when each group was presented because one student was supposed to have the role of "presenter". When some groups went, more than one student would be presenting. We also needed to have a timer prepared as well. There was miscommunication among us about this part. Overall, I enjoyed doing this lesson. I thought it was fun and creative. Mrs. Benefer told us she really enjoyed the lesson as well and hopes she can do it as one of her own lessons one day. 

 Self-Reflection: Overall for this lesson, I think I did a good job. I kept the group on track and kept the lessons going as smoothly as possible. My favorite part was giving guided practice to the students. It was nice to sit with a small group and listen to them conduct research. I liked helping students try to piece together the clues and come to an ultimate conclusion. Things I could have done better: have more materials prepared and explain concepts more in-depth. I asked the students I was working with if they enjoyed this activity and they said yes. That made me really happy and left a feeling of accomplishment that the students were learning social studies and having fun while doing so. 

Direct Lesson -Causes & Effects of the Declaration of Independence

Reflection on Teaching: Day 1: Direct Lesson
Topic: The Causes and Effects of the Declaration of Independence. 
Link to Lesson Plan
Link to presentation
Link to worksheet
Link to Quiz

        Today, my group, Group C, presented our direct lesson plan to the 4th grade class at Bishop Dunn Memorial School. Our direct lesson was on the causes and effects of the Declaration of Independence. We handed out worksheets to the students to fill out during the presentation. The worksheet contained information that was in the powerpoint. Caitlyn began the lesson by pre-assessing students' knowledge about events that caused the need for a Declaration. Anne presented the reasons why the colonists were angry. I talked about what a Declaration is and what happened on July 4th, 1776. Rachel described the outcomes of the signing of the Declaration and did a cause and effect activity with the class. We created a t-chart with the causes and effects. Students came to the board and dragged the facts into the appropriate columns. The students then explained why they dragged that certain statement into the column they chose. We asked the class if they agreed or disagreed. Unfortunately, we did not have enough time for our next activity. We were going to present a video to the class on the Declaration of Independence. Laura gave the closure. She reviewed with the class what they had learned throughout the lesson. We handed out a quiz to the students to complete as independent practice at home. The quiz contained facts about what was presented in the lesson. 

Reflection: As a group, we worked very hard on this lesson. We did not realize how pressed for time we really were. I wish we had more time to completely finish our lesson. The video was fun and incorporated many facts that we had talked about. I felt that because we were pressed for time, we scrambled and rushed through our presentation. Things to improve on: at one point or another, we all slipped and said the word "guys". As I was saying this word, I realized I made a huge mistake and was so disappointed in myself that I had said it. It is a word that rolls off the tongue without even realizing it and I think as a group we have to practice and be more aware that we are using this word. For the group, I think we need to be more positive about the responses we give to students after they answer. Many of us said: "no" or just ignored some students answers. We need to focus on how to properly address students positively when they give an answer. Also for everyone since we are pressed for time, we cannot go off topic or elaborate anything that was not mentioned in the script in the lesson plan. 

My teaching- In general I think I did well. I spoke as loudly and clearly as I could even though I was sick. I tried to keep students engaged and make what I was presenting fun and interesting. However, I know there are things I can improve on. I need to work on my vocabulary skills and not say "guys" , also I am going to avoid saying things that are not in our lesson plan since we are pressed on time.

Debates

               Week 9         

Class: Wed, 10/23

         Today in class, Amanda, Katrina, and Christina presented their current events lesson. The article they told us to read for homework was called: "These students just can't sit still in school all day". This article addressed the issues of obesity and fitness in schools. Many students in schools are obese and cannot pass the physical fitness tests. So there has been a debate whether or not schools should provide 30 minutes of exercise before school starts each day. We were separated into two groups: pros & cons. I was placed in the "pros" group. The teachers presented about what a debate is and how to form a realistic debate in the classroom. 

       I got into the "pros" group. Our argument was that there should be 30 minutes of exercise before school begins everyday. It is important that children stay physically healthy. We did some further research and found that there are common core standards for health and fitness in schools. Children have to be provided with physical exercise. I think that physical exercise before class is good because it gets childrens minds working and alert. Exercise also helps students focus better. This also benefits students with special needs who need physical activity in order to concentrate during the day. We presented our argument to the "cons" side. Their argument was that there is already physical fitness incorporated throughout the day which is known as gym class. We continued to present our facts and ideas back and forth. Finally, Katrina came to the decision that the "pros" side had won their argument. 

       Amanda gave a more in depth explanation about debates and how they can be used in the classroom. The teachers also gave us resources to use if we did a debate in the classroom. I really enjoyed this presentation. It was well organized and engaging. I think students would enjoy this activity as well. I have provided my +3 and wishes that I posted on e-class:

Dear Christina, Amanda, and Katrina, 

+Christina you had a clear and loud voice.

+I like how you ladies made the article into a debate topic, that was very creative and a great idea!

+Katrina, you did a good job keeping time and making sure everyone was on track

I wish...Amanda could have spoke more during the presentation

Cooperative lessons with groups 1 & 2.

Week 8

Class: 10/14/13, Monday

Today we had no field work at Bishop Dunn Memorial, since it was Columbus day holiday. Today was a review day in class. Groups 1 & 2 reflected on their inquiry lesson. The groups shared with the class what went well and what they could improve on. Dr. Smirnova gave the groups suggestions on how they can improve their lessons and teaching. Dr. Smirnova asked our group and group 4 on our opinions on group 1 & 2 teaching. We gave the groups some suggestions along with things we thought they did positively. We also received time in class today to continue to work on our own lesson plans. 

Class: 10/20/13, Wed.

 Today was the 1st current events presentation. The teachers in this group included: Kristen, Christina, and Courtney. The teachers told everyone previously before the class to read an article called "U.S Safety Strained by Government Shutdown". The article was about the government shutdown and the unsafe situations it is causing in the country. The teachers began their lesson by reviewing the 5 w's. This bridged into the lesson because the teachers then handed out a worksheet with the 5 w's chart. 

This was the worksheet they gave us:

We had to fill out the worksheet based on the information in the article.The teachers told us to switch papers with other student. Then we had to write a summary on the back based on what that person wrote in their chart. Then the class came together and each group was given a bubble to write in. The students were able to come to the board. After we were finished writing on the board, the teachers came together to review. The teachers asked the class if they agreed or disagreed with the answer on the board. If the class disagreed, then the teachers asked if there was another solution for an answer. I think that Courtney did a great job with this part. She had positive feedback and reassurance if one of the answers were not correct.  I think the group was very well organized. The teachers were prepared and their presentation was very straightforward. I thought it was great that they showed us additional resources on the topic and other sources we can use for our current event lesson. I learned a lot about the current event and teaching techniques from this lesson.

My reflection on eClass:

Dear Christina, Kristen and Courtney,

+1. Courtney- I think you did a great job adding on to the answer that someone gave to the "where". Your explanation was  positive to the person who gave the first answer, and then to the person who added it on.

+2. Kristen- you answered my question very clearly.

+3. Christina- you spoke with a clear voice and were knowledgeable about the topic.

I wish we had a smart board because the chart could also serve as a smartboard activity

Class: 10/18/13

Today we were back at Bishop Dunn Memorial for field work. Today was the last day for Groups 1 & 2 to teach their lessons. Their final lessons were on cooperative learning. 

Group 1:Alex introduced the lesson. She refreshed the students' memories by telling them what they talked about in previous classes (Colonial New York). She then asked students: "Why do we work together?". The students gave their answers, and the teachers bridged their answers by lists of reasons why we work together and how to work together efficiently. The teachers explained that for this lesson, the students will be working together. Students were given a word and had 2 minutes to find the definition with  their partners. When time was up, the group had to share their definition with the class. The next activity the students had to pair up into groups and each group was given a different activity. Each teacher went to the groups for guided practice. The teachers worked closely with the groups in order to create their activities. When time was up, each group presented their activity. The first group made a poem on colonial New York. The second group wrote a skit pretending to be students during colonial times. The next group wrote a song about the 13 colonies. The 4th group came up with an advertisement for tools used during that time. The teachers closed their lesson by telling the students they worked together in order to create an activity and gather their knowledge they all learned about Colonial New York to create them. 

Evaluation: For the introduction, Alex needed to grab the students' attention more. It was a Friday, so I think the students were probably more rowdy. From sitting in the back of the room, I could see the students were not paying attention. I would also suggest that Alex could speak more loudly and clearly so students will gain attention. I think that it was good that the teachers explained why we work together and how to work together in groups. For the activity, I liked how the teachers told each student they needed to have a role in the group. I think James did a great job explaining what each role was and the responsibility it has. The teachers did a good job guiding the students with their activities. I thought the closure was great that each group got to present their activity. I thought this cooperative lesson was really creative because each group got an activity to do. The activities tied in really well to the topic and what material was covered over the previous sessions. What could go better- trying to get students' attention and have them to focus. Also, Madison could have a voice more, I feel that she does not get much of a chance to speak.

Group 2: The teachers started off the lesson by asking students if they remember what historical event they were covering in the previous sessions. They showed students pictures to see if they remembered. The teachers received a couple of different answers, but told the class the main topic was "The American Revolution". The teachers had an activity on the board. They asked students if they knew what each letter in "TEAM" could stand for. The students participated and gave excellent answers. The answers would transition and come onto the screen. The teachers bridged this activity by telling students that they were going to work in groups for this lesson and they needed to have teamwork. The teachers told students they need to each have a role in their group. This included: manager, time-keeper, etc. The students were given a picture of an event during the American Revolution and they had to determine the series of events that it followed during that time period. The teachers came around and helped each group. For closure, the teachers asked the students to come up and put their picture in the time slot where they think it took place on the timeline. The students came up and placed their pictures in order. The teachers asked the students if it looked correct. Everyone agreed, the students were able to list the events that occurred during the American Revolution in the correct order. The students were excited that they placed the pictures in the correct order. The teachers went over the events in chronological order on the timeline. The teachers handed out students scrolls to keep as souvenirs. 

Evaluation: I think group 2 did a good job introducing the lesson. They helped refresh what they had been talking about in the last 2 sessions. The American Revolution is a detailed topic and event, and I think they did a great job narrowing down on the basics and important events. I loved the timeline activity! I thought this was such a creative way of showing students how timelines work and to apply that to what they learned about the American Revolution. I could see that students had a fun time with this activity and got excited when they created the timeline in the correct order. The closure also went well for the teachers. They were able to manage their time and close the lesson completely. The thing that could have gone differently is that the teachers could have explained more the importance of a timeline and why we need timelines when learning about history. The teachers just need more explanation and detail about how to do their activities. 

Colonial New York & The American Revolution

WEEK 7

Class: 10/7/13:

      Today was the first official day that groups started teaching in 4th grade at Bishop Dunn Memorial School. Groups 1 & 2 presented their direct instruction lessons. The topic for Group 1 was "Colonial New York". The topic for Group 2 was "The American Revolution".

Group 1: James, Madison, Erika, Alex, and Lindsay were in this group. They first started off their lesson by pre assessing the students. The group presented vocabulary words based on their topic. The technology that the group used was the SMARTBoard and used the software, Prezi, to present their content. The lesson included how people migrated to NY, the difference between indent servant and slave. James asked the students if they knew what kind of government we have. The answer was a democracy, but back in this time they called government an "assembly". The group also talked about the schooling back in this time and how it is different from schools today. The students were asked if they would prefer going to school at that time or now. The teachers also let students watch a video based on the clothing that was worn during this time. They asked the students to compare and contrast the clothing differences from then and now. The group used an activity with the vocabulary words. The students had to correctly match the word to the proper definition by dragging it in the SMARTBoard. For independent practice, the group gave a worksheet to the students to complete for homework. 

Evaluation: I thought group 1 had a very organized and straightforward lesson. The students enjoyed comparing and contrasting how life was back then for students than it is now.  I liked how Erika got the students' attention  by telling them to put their hands on their heads when they would transition to the next slide. She also gave students certain thumb signals to tell her if they understand or if they did not understand. For the other members of the group, my suggestion was to speak more loudly and clearer. The beginning of the lesson could have been more structured and organized. However, this was due to technical issues. The direct lesson in general went well. I think the teachers had the students engaged throughout the lesson. The closure could have went differently. Due to time constraints, the closure was not as clear. A suggestion that this group can do differently is not call on students names who can not be video taped. Otherwise, the group did well for their first time teaching for a direct lesson.

Group 2: The teachers in this group were: Courtney, Christina, Brittni, Liz, and Kristen. They started their lesson on the American Revolution by showing a video from School House Rock. They then asked students to listen or look for things in the video they might know of. The teachers showed pictures and asked the students of what they think these pictures might be. The pictures showed war during the American Revolution. After each slide, the group had check for understanding questions. The teachers asked the students: who were colonists? What were things that were getting taxed at this time? During the lesson, the teachers gave students a formative assessment. Students has to fill out a worksheet based on the content that was being presented during the lesson. The teachers then talked about the Boston Tea Party. They then talked about the revolution. Liz described what happened during the battle at Lexington and Concord. Liz had everyone respond as a class when she asked a question. The teachers used a SMARTBoard activity. In this activity, the students had to correctly identify content that pertained to loyalist and that contained to the patriots. The teachers provided a flag to each student. On one side, the loyalists flag was shown, and on the other side, the patriot's flag was shown. When the students would answer the question, they would hold up the side of the flag of what they thought the answer was. For independent practice, students had to complete a mini quiz for homework. 

Evaluation: I liked how creative group 2 was. I could see they took a lot of time and effort into making the flags for the students. There was also a lot of effort put in the PowerPoint  I think Christina did a great job managing the technology and keeping the students in track. Liz and Courtney had a very clear and loud voice when they were presenting. I liked how Kristen addressed the questions to the students. The questions were clear and understandable. The beginning of the lesson was well structured with the video that was presented. It grabbed the students' attention. The direct instruction was well organized because of the review questions. The students were forced to pay attention because they had to fill out the worksheet that was given to them. For this group, I could not identify what the closure was. So my suggestion is to give more of a closure to the lesson.  

Class: 10/9/13

     Today in class was more of a review day. Dr.Smirnova gave groups 1 & 2 feedback and advice for their next lesson. We watched the recording of group 2 and provided feedback on what went well and what did not go well. As for our group, we got the opportunity to work on our direct lesson plan.

Class: 10/11/13

         We were back at Bishop Dunn for fieldwork. Today, groups 1 & 2 presented their inquiry lesson plans. 

Group 1: Group 1 was continuing their topic on Colonial New York. They started off by asking students if they remember what strategy they used last time to show if they understood something. The students responded with: "thumbs up and thumbs down". The teachers pre-assessed students by asking them if they remembered what they learned last class. They also asked students if they knew what an artifact is. The students responded, and the teachers gave them a general definition of an artifact. Their inquiry lesson was doing artifact bags. They gave each group a bag filled with various objects pertaining to the lesson. The teachers also demonstrated on how to do the lesson. They also provided the students with worksheets with questions to answer as they were making their discoveries. Each teacher went around and guided the groups. They asked them questions such as: "what artifacts did you find?" and "Where do you think these artifacts came from?". For closure, the teachers asked the students to say out loud some things they found out during their discovery. For independent practice, the teachers gave students a worksheet to complete for homework. 

Evaluation: I think group 1 did a good job organizing the artifact bag activity. I liked how they demonstrated how the students should be doing the activity. I think the teachers did a good job splitting up and using guided practice by going to each group. This gave students a chance to interact and socialize with the teachers. I could see the students really enjoyed this activity. The activity was organized and fun. The beginning was great, the teachers pre-assessed the students' knowledge and refreshed their memories. The inquiry part was very organized. The teachers did a good job preparing the materials for the students in order to save time. The students were engaged throughout the whole inquiry process. The students were interested in finding the clues to help them solve the mystery of their artifacts. The closure was great as well. The teachers came back and were able to grab all the students' attention by asking  students what they found in their artifact bags. Something that could be done differently is that some teachers should have more of a voice in the group. Erika leads the lesson majority of the time, which is good, but I think the other teachers should have more say in the lesson.

Group 2: Group 2 started off their inquiry lesson by asking students: "what is a historian?". Students gave the teachers various answers on what a historian is. The teachers followed up to their answers by saying that historians solve problems. The teachers presented to the students on their powerpoint presentation steps to solving a problem. The teachers also used the software, voki. They made a George Washington Voki. The voki gave the students directions to their treasure hunt activity. The teachers handed out students a sheet to fill out during their treasure hunt. The students were using iPads, and the app, QR Reader. The scanner would scan and give the students clues. The students had to find the answer to these clues by researching on the computer. The teachers used guided practice and helped each group try to solve their mysteries  The students were looking up people who were involved in the American Revolution. After time was up, each group presented their research and findings. The teachers asked students if they knew what a hypothesis was. They asked students if the hypothesis they made in the beginning of their lesson was right or wrong by the end when they completed their research. The teachers closed their lesson by asking students if they enjoyed the activity and learned about a new person.
Evaluation:I think group 2 did a great job with their introduction and pre assessment piece. They reviewed what the students learned last time and bridged it to what they were going to teach in their new lesson. I liked that they used a "voki" because this grabbed the kids attention. In the development part, I thought it was good how Liz explained to the students that the iPads needed to be handled with care. The suggestion I would give if the teachers had more time was to explain how to use the iPad and explain why they are using this app. I saw that the teachers were the ones who were scanning the folders. This is okay because of time restraints, but the students should get a chance to use the technology hands on. Students were having fun, but I could tell they were getting frustrated at some points. It was good that the teachers were each with group because it helped the students stay on track. The students were rushing, trying to find information as if they were competing for something. I think the teachers could have explained to the students that they did not have to rush because it was not a competition. I think the teachers did a good job with the closure. I like how the groups came up and presented the information they found on a special person. The teachers were able to wrap up the lesson by saying how the students were historians during the lesson.My suggestion for this group is that each teacher should have equal time in the lesson to talk. What could have been done better-explaining to the students why they are using the technology, what its purpose is, and how it will help them find clues. Over all, I thought this was a well constructed activity. I wish there could have been more time so it didnt have to be rushed for the students or the teachers!

Moving towards field work

WEEK 6

Class: Monday, 9/30/13

In class today, we did a treasure hunt! For the treasure hunt, Dr. Smirnova printed out barcodes for us. We had to download the “QR-reader” app on our iPhones. We got together in our field work groups in order to complete this assignment. Each group was versing each other. When the barcodes were scanned, questions would come on the screen. Everyone in the group had a job, which included: manager, time-keeper, note-taker, typer, and researcher. I was the manager in the group, Rachel was the time-keeper, Laura was the note-taker, Caitlyn was the typer, and Anne was the researcher. Whichever group answered all the questions and posted them first to the forum would win a prize.

The questions and answers we came up with include:

Group: Revolutionists: Caitlyn Yackeren, Brianna Croce, Rachel Springer, Anne Eisner

Date: September 30, 2013

Treasure Hunt

Question 1: Learning Centered Approach

Question 2: True

Question 3: No

Question 4: D- Competition among teachers and students.

Question 5: John Dewey- Came up with empirical evidence.

Question 6: C- The primary responsibility was to engage students in inquiry into important social and interpersonal problems.

Question 7:  Group Investigation: The class is divided into teams, which then select topics to investigate, gather information, prepare reports, and present their findings to the entire class.

Example: Treasure hunt

Question 8: Structural Approach: An approach based on the teaching of the different areas of 'grammar' in a language; eg present simple tense, conditionals, adverbs and adjectives etc. A structural syllabus will view the language in terms of linguistic structures,of which there will be grading and sequencing; of a functional approach.

Example: Think-Share-Pair, 6 thinking hats

Question 9: Think-Share-Pair: This is a structured approach to classroom discourse that aims to get all students actively involved in a discussion. An example is: You can use it in small groups before reading. Decide upon the text to be read and develop the set of questions or prompts that target key content concepts. Describe the purpose of the strategy and provide guidelines for discussions. Model the procedure to ensure that students understand how to use the strategy. Monitor and support students as they work through the following:

T : (Think) Teachers begin by asking a specific question about the text. Students "think" about what they know or have learned about the topic.

P : (Pair) Each student should be paired with another student or a small group.

S : (Share) Students share their thinking with their partner. Teachers expand the "share" into a whole-class discussion.

Question 10:

Role of the Teacher

Make decisions

Specify academic/collaborative objectives  

Decide on a group size

Assign students to groups

Arrange the room

Plan materials

Assign roles

Set the lesson

Explain the academic task

Structure positive interdependence

Structure Individual accountability

Structure intergroup cooperation

Explain criteria for success

Specify expected behaviors  

Teach collaborative skills

Monitor and intervene

Arrange face to face Interaction

Monitor student behavior

Provide task assistance

Intervene to teach collaborative skills

Evaluate and process

Evaluate student learning

Process Group Functioning

Provide closure

Question 11: 5 Characteristics: 1. Positive Interdependence

   2. Individual Accountability

   3. Social Skills

   4.  Group Processing

   5. Lesson Planning  

   I really enjoyed doing the treasure hunt activity. It was fun and it got my mind working. I think students would highly enjoy this. This is a fun activity that can be geared towards any grade or subject. I like how technology is incorporated into trying to find questions and answers. It was also great for a cooperative learning lesson. Group work was really needed in order to do this project. As a group, we processed the answers, and as individuals we all had different roles and responsibilities. I would definitely use the QR-reader in my classroom, and I plan to use it for my fieldwork lessons.

Class: Wed, 10/2/13

Today in class we focused on creating/designing our lessons for field work. We also watched an instructional video called "Teaching Methods in the Classroom." There are several things that I learned from this video.

Direct instruction is when the teacher is demonstrating a lesson to students. This demonstration includes using visual and coral responses. Students practice what they have learned. Lesson plan activities include: guided practice, checking for understanding, introducing new skills, and others. Independent practice is when students do activities such as seat work or homework. The development of a lesson includes: getting the student's attention by pre-assessing their prior knowledge. The development phrase allows the teacher to check for students understanding.Cooperative learning is successful in diverse setting. The classroom mirrors a democratic society. The phases of cooperative learning: Clarifying aims, providing materials, organizing study teams, assisting teams, sharing/evaluating/recognizing work.

The video was very helpful because it related to the practices that will be used during field work. It also gave me more insight on how to create lessons pertaining to field work. I am glad that Dr. Smirnova showed us this video. I hope to apply the tips that I learned in the video to my field work and other teaching experiences.


Class: Fri, 10/4/13

Today was our first day of fieldwork! As a class, we headed over to Bishop Dunn Memorial School. Our goal was to get to know the 4th grade class. The teacher in fourth grade is Mrs.Benfer. Each group had a few minutes to get to know each group of students. The students were sitting in desks in groups. We all introduced ourselves to the class. When we met with the students, we started off by asking their names. As a pre-assessment to our topic,"The Declaration of Independence", we asked students to give us some ideas that they might include if they wrote their own Declaration.
These are pictures of the paper where I wrote down each groups ideas for a Declaration:

We asked the students what rights we do have in America. We then asked them to add some of their ideas of rights they do not have now but wish they did. From my observation, most of the groups agreed that we have the freedom of: speech, voting, choosing, religion, freedom, and education. It seems that students have a general understanding and understanding of our rights as American Citizens. In our cooperative lesson plan, we will be doing a similar project. We will let students collaborate as groups and create a class Declaration.