Teaching Fun!

Well, where do I begin? It's been hard getting back into the swing of classes since our two week break for field experience and spring break. I really love being in second grade. Most weeks those are the days I look forward to the most. At this point in my college career I am ready to be done and move on. I'm ready to be in the classroom teaching. I was so proud of myself last week on Friday because I came up with a lesson on short notice (during specials) and the kids loved it and had a lot of fun. I taught them about the life cycle of plants and let me draw (and color!!) their own plant life cycle. This week each student is going to put a lima bean in a sandwich baggie to watch it sprout at school. I'm also going to let me plant some flower seeds to take home and watch grow. The students are going to make biodegradable planter pots with newspaper with a nifty pot maker my science teacher is letting me borrow. Needless to say, I'm ready to be finished with school and start teaching.

Ch. 12 and Field Experience

I had a fabulous time during my field experience for the full week. I taught a unit on Georgia's regions and incorporated a reader's theater that the kids absolutely loved. I also divided the students into five groups and gave them children's informational books on GA to find their information. This relates to Ray's book because of the unit of study on geography. I think units are a great way to keep kids focused and for them to know what is expected. Units are also a great way to integrate subjects like I did with geography. I also did a science lesson on energy and had my students write an imaginative piece.
I really liked Ray's idea to do a unit on a topic I absolutely love as a teacher. This will bring a lot of enthusiasm and creativity in the classroom. It also gives me something to build on every year. Also at the beginning of the year the class could come up with a unit they want to study and write about. This allows students to be involved and have a voice/choice.