Miss Kang's 5th Blog : Bringing It Altogether Post

Washington Elementary School Website:  http://washington.district87.org/pages/Washington_Elemen

At the beginning of the semester, I outlined a lot of personal and teaching goals in my blog post. I wanted to improve my language abilities, create meaningful relationships with my students, have solid lesson plans, increase my team working skills, and of course, make sure that all of my students understood the content. In the past, it was difficult for me to watch students struggle while the rest of their classmates excelled, so I made it a goal of mine to differentiate to meet all students’ needs. Luckily, this course had me create plenty of lesson plans to brainstorm ways to help different learners.
 Through classroom instruction and working with peers, I've added many new techniques to my arsenal. Another goal of mine that I believe has improved is my language, namely, my ability to read, speak, and write English. Coming to college was very difficult, since I surrounded myself with other Koreans in high school. My courses and the Writing Center have both helped me improve on these parts of language. Doing lesson plans, especially where I had to work with native English speakers, really taught me how to convey my ideas better and more professionally in English. I also believe I have gained valuable experience in creating lesson plans that will benefit me during my student teaching. This course has allowed me to see the different kinds of subjects that third graders learn, and how quickly they can really grasp a concept. Before this course, I had only worked with younger students, but now I feel more prepared in working with other elementary school grades. The lesson plans have also helped me organize my thoughts. When I get an idea for a lesson, I instantly think of things like “Okay, what materials am I going to need? How can I assess the students throughout the lesson? What are potential problems I could run into?” While these thoughts may have crossed my mind before, this course has really solidified the importance of knowing every step in a lesson before I begin. 

             Knowing what I know now, I still have goals for the future. (I mean, who doesn't?) I still want to improve my English further. The English language can be difficult to really master, so I am confident that this will be a lifelong goal. However, that doesn't mean I can’t improve further. I’m sure having more exposure to native speakers, especially once I am student teaching, will increase my language abilities even further. A goal that goes along with this idea is be becoming even more professional. I want to be able to connect with my future colleagues, and I want them to respect me as a valuable and serious teacher. Improving my language will help with, along with really taking an initiative when creating my lesson plans. I’m passionate about teaching, and I want my demeanor to reflect that. This summer, I will be working with different elementary schools and summer camps, which will make me more confident for my student teaching as well. This course’s clinical experience has taught me that kids are open and excited to learning, as long as the teacher shows and interest in the content and their well-being. I was impressed with how much the students wanted to volunteer their ideas. I never had a problem with no one wanting to talk, usually; everyone was trying to speak at once! This reminded me that teaching is what I want to do with my career, and that I really enjoy working with children. Even on days when I was stressed and did not feel like teaching, the students’ motivation always rubbed off on me. It was a great experience working with Mrs. Wolfe’s class, and I’m glad this course introduced me to her and her students. : )

http://yesseul91.blogspot.com/2014_01_01_archive.html  (Ms. Yeseul's Goals )

Miss Kang's 4th Blog : Science Focus at Washington Elementary School

For my clinical experience, I have been lucky enough to work with Mrs. Wolf on her social studies lessons. Lindsay’s Cooperating Teacher, Ms. Weddington, teaches the same students the science portion of their lessons. Since Mrs. Wolf exclusively teaches the social studies aspect, I have never witnessed Ms. Weddington’s science lessons. However, I will be teaching a science lesson in Mrs. Wolf’s classroom on April 9^th. Therefore, I have unfortunately not had the experience of seeing a science lesson for this age group in person, and I do not know the exact methods that Ms. Weddington uses. However, Lindsay has blog posts which outline her experiences in a clinical science classroom :  http://gladlyweteachandlearnisu.blogspot.com/ 

I do know that Ms. Weddington has been working on types of soil and the rock cycle in her classroom, so I will be planning to teach about that same topic. My idea for a lesson plan is to show the students a couple of videos on the rock cycle and have them fill out a worksheet based on the concepts that they have been reviewing. I know that this is not a very hands-on lesson, but I decided to use it since the other lesson I prepared will not be ready for the students. (Originally, I was planning to do an interactive lesson with baby chicks, but Ms. Weddington informed me that they will not be starting that unit until the week after I teach.)

One thing that I’ve already found difficult about science lessons is trying to make them as interactive as social studies lessons. Since I have a lot more experience working with social studies, it is easier for me to come up with activities that involve maps, people, and places. With science, a lot of the concepts are not as easy to show simply using pictures or stories. Many of the components happen without being seen, such as with the rock cycle. We obviously do not have enough time to watch rocks change over time, as that can take hundreds of years. However, the science book comes with lots of ideas for hands-on activities for the students so that they can get a glimpse of the concept in real life. I am sure that the authors of the book were very aware that science can be a difficult topic for younger children, so they provided lots of pictures and boiled down the lessons into interactive activities and real world applications.

I know from what students say in Mrs. Wolf’s classroom that science is not always a favorite subject for kids, since it’s not as easy to comprehend as something like the Civil War. In my future classroom, I am going to make a concerted effort to make science lessons as fun and hands-on as possible. Science often ranks lower on students’ favorite subjects due to its content, and because a lot of teachers make their lessons lecture-style. After my lesson on the 9^th, I hope to grasp a better understanding of what goes on in a science classroom and the techniques that Ms. Weddington uses to keep her students engaged.

This is the Wedsite that Ms . weddington use for her science lesson.

                   -www.pearsonsuccessnet.com 

             These are the rink that I am going to use for my Rock cycle science lesson.

                        1.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uAAeFB7Tv5A

2.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=55n_ep952ro

                        3.http://www.santeesd.net/Page/5827

Miss Kang's 3rd Blog : Social studies Focus at Washington Elementary School

At Washington Elementary school, my cooperating teacher combines literacy and social studies lessons together, instead of teaching them as two separate disciplines. Usually after lunch, her students gather on the carpet in the classroom to learn their lesson for the day. Kids are not required to sit on the carpet however, they are allowed to sit wherever makes them most comfortable, including high chairs, recliners, and a couch. The social studies lesson that I have witnessed have focused on specific historical leaders, such as Abraham Lincoln and Rosa Parks. Since she adds a literacy component to her lessons, the students are often asked to read about the leaders, and then write about them as a group. My CT is energetic when she teaches, and tries to use different voices and expressions when reading aloud. She also tries to stop every now and then to ask if the students understand what is happening, and if they have any questions.

             While I like the idea of combining the two subjects, as I think it shows students how different disciplines are intertwined, I believe that I would run my classroom a little differently. I think it is important to focus on literacy and social studies as two separate subjects as well. Literacy is more focused on reading and writing, while I think social studies needs a more hands-on component. For example, with learning about Rosa Parks, I think the students would benefit from maybe role-playing her situation, and discussing how they felt when they were being discriminated against. Or for Lincoln, I would have students dress up a little bit and get involved with the historical figure they are trying to represent. I think when you add a creative component to school work; students both enjoy and remember it more easily.

             I think students really like adding personal remarks and showing their knowledge on the subjects too. For example, when my CT began talking about different famous people, many students began shouting out or raising their hands to talk about what they already knew about that person. Students like to feel intelligent, and I think an important part of teaching is encouraging your students. You can’t do the work for them, so keeping them engaged with hands-on activities is a good way for students to keep up with what is happening in the classroom. I noticed that when my CT would lecture for more than five minutes straight, students tended to drift away from the classroom. Instead of looking at the teacher and the lesson, they would look around. This is why when I begin teaching; I will try to incorporate different activities so that students stay interested.

             I created a couple different hands-on activities for social studies that I may use in my classroom one day. One was a United States region matching game. Another was an economics lesson on why saving is important, and the value of different coins in American currency. I think these are also both important components of social studies lessons, as social studies are not just history. Like my CT, I would incorporate both literacy and economics as part of my curriculum. Since elementary students are supposed to learn about a lot of different subjects, I think this would be beneficial for their learning.

Here are my social studies work jobs that I created. I plan to use these in my future classroom. There are ones for different grade levels and different components of social studies, like economics, history, geography, and government.   

Books: -books.google.com/books?isbn=0307786943
           - http://books.google.com/books?id=DB-eFUNTjKcC&printsec=frontcover&dq=rosa+park+for+kids&hl=en&sa=X&ei=TWUnU-nAA-vOyAHyh4CgDA&ved=0CE4Q6AEwAg#v=onepage&q&f=false

Miss Kang's Second Blog : Literacy Focus at Washington Elementary School

      Through the past two weeks of my clinical, it is obvious that the main focus that my CT has for her students is strengthening literacy.  Though there are other classes that students leave the classroom for to learn, i.e. Music, P.E. and Science, when the students come back my CT instructs a math lesson.  The math lesson, however, tending to only last around an hour shows to not be the biggest priority. I enjoy observing the different techniques that my CT instructs students to do in order to reinforce literacy. The best activity is the letter activity where students are to write letters to their parents, once a week. The parents then respond to these letters and it continues to flow in this manner for the remainder of the year. My CT assigns book buddies to students with whom they can share what they read for the week with students that are in the first grade. This helps reinforce what students have learned and helps them communicate exactly what they have learned. When my CT reads to the students she makes them comfortable by providing a large, colorful carpet and some chairs for them to be able to relax and listen. When she reads stories to them she has them she opens up discussion questions to allow for connections to be made.  This is one of my favorite aspects of the lesson.  When she asks them if they had any similar experiences to whatever is happening in the story, the children get excited to share their own experiences.  The best part about this activity is that without the children even knowing they are learning and applying literacy lessons. Previous to teaching third grade, I was in classes for preschool and kindergarten.  When I first came to the third grade class the difference between my previous class was so apparent that it took me back at first.  Just noticing the different techniques that the teachers utilize to teach basic skills in preschool and kindergarten in comparison to the techniques used on the third graders was so interesting.  It’s obvious that the younger grades do more hands on, fun activities because the younger students are learning basic verbal and writing skills, whereas now more is expected out of the students.  My CT, I think, does a great job challenging the students without overwhelming them through the activities that she chooses for them. A way that she challenges them is through the smart board activities. She requires students to find the word that matches the definition.  Before students leave class my CT puts a definition on the smart board and allows for students to think about what word matches the definition, when class resumes she has a different student come up and match the appropriate word with the definition. I would say the students in the class respond favorably to all the lessons.  In the two weeks that I have been there I was awestruck to see how open and talkative the students were in class. They are, however, respectful to the teacher and when are told to quiet down listen without question. The activities that my CT used really inspired me and challenged me to think of different approaches to teaching literacy. The approaches that she uses are something that I will take with to future classes that I will be a part of.  Seeing how the kids respond and how my CT evaluates the students shows that there are ways to teach and evaluate students without too much mounting pressure on the students.  It’s safe to say that even though I’m only two weeks in this will be an eye opening semester. 

Link for Fact and Opinion: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LAKprpl7aPo

Ms. Yeseul's Goals

My name is Yeseul Kang I was born May 3, 1991 in South Korea. I came to America almost six years ago. I started high school in America in Schuamburg, Illinois. I'm currently and Early Childhood Education (ECE) major at Illinois State University. I decided to study early childhood ed, because my mother worked with pre-school children while I was growing up so I have always had an underlying interest. As I became older it had come to my realization that I find a lot of enjoyment working with children and it was something that I wanted to do as a career. I have also realized how different the teaching practices are both here and in Korea. Both cultures have taught me practices that I would like to incorporate into my own pedagogy.

In the past I have been to three clinicals. They were all very different experiences, learning aspects at different rates. I found that the teaching methods were done differently in each clinical I went to. Some teachers were the type that did not seek to differentiate their curriculum to meet all their students needs. At times they would continue on with their lessons while struggling students failed to grasp the concepts being taught.

I would like to focus on being more professional in this field through language. I realize now in my college career how significant my professional language is. Soon I will be interviewing for teaching positions and I am hoping to let me words emulate my level of expertise. Not only do I want to sound like a professional, I want to practice my professionalism in my clinical school setting while i have the chance. My goal is to network with other teachers and professionals all through the use of language.

I also want to learn more ways to better relation ships with the children through grabbing their attention and helping them learn. I'm currently taking courses that are constantly using attention grabbers and I've been making note of some ones I would love to use with my students. I have also considered creating some of my own catchy phrases and even added little motions to go along with them. In the past, I have observed teachers really struggle or find themselves screaming at the top of their lungs to simply catch their students attention for instruction. My goal is to build positive, lasting relationships with my students through my classroom management techniques.

Another aspect I want to improve on is lesson plans and being better prepared. In the past, I have created lesson plans to practice integrating in my clinical classroom. However, this semester I am looking to improve on my lesson plans and making sure to prepare in advance for implementation. Things will never quite play out the way you practice them but it is better to come prepared than going into your lesson "blindfolded". Teaching is something I am very passionate about so improving my skills will always be a goal of mine.

A fifth goal of mine this semester is having strong teamwork with the other teachers. Working as a team is very important to keep in mind and work on. When you are a teacher, you have to work with not only other teachers, but families and students. In my case, I am working as a team with all of these beings, my professors and my classmates. As of now, I will be adding other fellow bloggers to my team and learning and experiencing things about education from other bloggers. As my friend always says, team work makes the dream work!