Last Night of Class 12-13-17 Post #15

In class, I missed some of what was said regarding "Magic Wands"; because my internet kicked me out of class. I went back and listened to the recorded class portion I missed. Professor Steffes gave us some information, regarding our magic wands (our anticipatory sets), on what they should be based on. The anticipatory set should be relevant and content based, have a clear bridge or connect, reappear during lesson, acclimate prior learning, and be a way to share your objective. Some creative ideas to make an anticipatory set are through Art, a question, video clips, quotes, card match, #tweet, or meme.

For Example: Lesson- 4th Grade Social Studies Immigration to Ellis Island

ART- Immigrants eat rotten meat and stewed prunes in Ellis Island dinning hall

Question based on picture- Would you feel very welcomed or accepted; being over crowded and served rotten meat and stewed prunes?

Video Clip- Series of 3 videos could be played over three days

Quote-

Picture Match- Students get a country they immigrated from; they go around the room and collect the cards that go with their country, for example job, place to live, education.

 

# Tweet response to picture-

(Mine- #littlebrothers )

I hope you enjoyed seeing these examples and I enjoyed seeing all of the creative wands people came up with.

Lesson Plan Presentations 12-6-17

Devyn Crabtree was our first presenter and did her lesson on 2nd grade synonyms and antonyms. Her first lesson was introducing synonyms. I thought she had a good anticipatory set; where she used Kahoot for a pre assessment. She had a good objective; although, I felt like I was missing the condition within it. I liked the idea of using a synonyms video, students love videos. Devyn's tree map was neat for the use of modeling to the students.Their independent practice of completing their own tree map is a good idea; so they can be exposed to different types of thinking maps. I really liked her closure as well; the use of the snow storm.
Her second lesson plan had a good objective. The anticipatory set was good too and was something the students could do by their selves. She also had a good remediation strategy. However, I had a slight concern with the closure activity. Parent Hotline seems like a neat idea all together, but some families can't afford internet and wouldn't be able to access their child's homework. Otherwise the lessons overall were very good. Thank you for presenting.

The next presenter was Karen Bond and her lesson was for 6th grade Science. It was based on the Periodic Table and is gauged to be about an 1 hour long. In her first lesson plan; I felt like she was very thorough in her instructional overview. I learned more about the periodic table and elements just through her overview. She also had a good use of Bloom's Taxonomy and the "Meet The Elements" idea for her anticipatory set. However, on the objective I though the condition and the degree may be missing. The guided practice portion was a neat idea to have them fill out the chart and I liked that there was discussion time. Though I think they might have to have some help filling out the chart; but that is why this is good to do during guided practice time. Her ideas for checking understanding were good, as well as the worksheet for independent practice. I did notice that on this lesson plan the closure needed a little work. I found this example of a closure activity for the periodic table: Fun Brain Website  I hope this helps some.
On Karen's lesson 2 the students were creating a periodic table. I like the idea a lot though on her objective; I feel like there is a lot of objectives and still feel like it was missing the condition and degree. She had a great vocabulary list of words and good use of Bloom's Taxonomy on this one too. I loved the idea of the anticipatory set she used; with the large bags of bottle caps for them to sort. I did feel like the guided practice was more like independent practice; with filling out the blank periodic table. I had thought that guided practice was something done with the teacher guiding the students through the activity. The paragraph is a good idea for the independent practice portion. I did really like the closure activity involving the use of colors to classify the elements. I also liked how she has them presenting and explaining how or why they classified the mystery elements. Overall, her lessons were very detailed with unique activity ideas and good lesson plans. Thank you for presenting your lesson plans.

Rachel Scott was the next to present and her lesson was on 1st grade Language Arts. It is estimated at a time of 30 minutes. The students would be doing a research paper. Her worksheet she had lined up for them to fill out was a neat idea. I liked her anticipatory set activity of dragging the true/false statements through the ven diagram. The idea of note taking practice for 1st graders is interesting. I like the idea in general; but I don't know how well this would work for 1st graders. It is good practice either way though. The site Rachel used is a cute website, very useful. The use of the KWL chart for independent practice is a good idea too. The high five closure was also a neat idea.
In Rachel's second lesson plan they read the book "Owl Moon" on a discovery education website. I thought this was a good idea too and like reading books to the students, as well. I did notice that I didn't catch the modeling practice for this lesson plan. Her independent practice was the same for both lessons. I really liked her use of Paper Slide for a closure activity and them drawing habitats for owls. This was a neat and different idea. However, the lesson could be enriched and closure at the same time if the students did Paper Slide; but drew a habitat for a different animal. Overall this was a very neat lesson plan and some of the things used were unique within her lesson plan. Thank you for doing your presentation.

Lesson Plan Presentations 11-29-17

In class we heard Devin Shrum's lesson plan presentation. His first lesson was for History and the Unit was on the Civil War. I thought that he had a good use of Bloom's Taxonomy. I also thought he had a good objective; although it seemed like a lot of objective for one lesson. I thought his time allowed for the preassessment was good. For an anticipatory set I thought he might be able to use a meme maybe something like this:

I liked how he had the students working in groups of 2 and was giving them information to prepare them to know information that was going to be on their test. I thought the use of a power point was a good idea to maintain student engagement. I liked that he had discussion time as well. I thought that the checking for understanding portion might need to be based on an independent activity that can be assessed based on the individual students performance. Devin showed good modeling, guided practice activities, and closure. 

Devin's lesson two was also based on History. Again, he showed a good use of Bloom's Taxonomy. His anticipatory set he used was a poll. I thought that was an alright idea, but could maybe include a picture to go with the poll. I liked the Snow Storm idea he had for checking for understanding. However, I was just wandering how you would check for understanding with each student individually; if you are playing snow storm? I think sequencing cards are a good idea to have the students fill out during guided practice. I thought he had good remediation in using prefilled sequencing cards. The "Inside Out" activity was also very interesting. The enrichment, I thought was just a little out there. I don't know about everyone being able to find out their family history though. I liked a lot of these ideas in Devin's presentation they were very original. Thank you for presenting Devin.

Lesson Plan Presentation from 11-22-17

In class Clint Finkemeier presented his lesson plans based on High school Social Studies. His first lesson was estimated for 1 hour and 30 minutes. Lesson 1 was based on the "Compromises Leading Up to The Civil War". I thought his standards were used well and his objective was good only there was either a shaky or no condition and no degree used; from what I could tell. The anticipatory set seemed more like direct instruction. I though that maybe he could either show a clip on the damage the Civil War did or a poem about compromises; or maybe even a picture...ahhhahhh. The picture could be gruesome though. I found a poem on this site: Poetry Soup

Time Of Disturbance

by Robinson Jeffers

 The best is, in war or faction or ordinary vindictive
 life, not to take sides.

Leave it for children, and the emotional rabble of the
 streets, to back their horse or support a brawler.

But if you are forced into it: remember that good and
 evil are as common as air, and like air shared
By the panting belligerents; the moral indignation that
 hoarsens orators is mostly a fool.

Hold your nose and compromise; keep a cold mind.
 Fight,
 if needs must; hate no one.
 Do as God does,
Or the tragic poets: they crush their man without hating
 him, their Lear or Hitler, and often save without
 love.

As for these quarrels, they are like the moon, recurrent
 and fantastic.
 They have their beauty but night's
 is better.

It is better to be silent than make a noise.
 It is better
 to strike dead than strike often.
 It is better not
 to strike.

These were some things I thought might be good hooks, or maybe explain the picture. I liked Clint's idea for the preassessment of using the KWL approach and I also liked his input portion. At first I wondered what kind of thinking map he wanted to use; but then at the end he gave us an example of the flow chart map he intended on using. I did like that he used group work for guided practice. Then they got to give presentations so everyone gets the information, but has less work to do. One thing I wondered about was on the independent practice; if writing only a paragraph was going to be enough for High school students. I would consider maybe a one page paper even or 2-3 paragraphs. I also noticed that Clint's closure is listed before his independent practice. I didn't know if he intended it that way or not. He did well on the remedial and enrichment learning sections. I thought he also showed good use of Bloom's Taxonomy. I really liked the idea of the interactive maps on his plan. 

The next lesson plan by Clint was also gauged to take 1 hour and 30 minutes long; for High school students and was based on "Key Issues Involving Slavery Leading Up to The Civil War". I really felt like he was missing the degree portion in his objective; but showed a good use of the standards. I liked that he remembered to include the book that they were referencing in his materials list. I think as a suggestion for Clint's anticipatory set; a true slave revolt story told by a former slave would be a good hook. I found this video, but it may take a few seconds to load: 

I did like the review that Clint did for his preassessment. I thought that was a good idea. However, I didn't understand if the students were supposed to be reading the whole book of "Uncle Tom's Cabin" or what portion; when he was talking about it in his input section. Once again I liked the idea of group work in the guided practice; but was still wondering about why his closure was before the independent practice. Also I thought his use of Bloom's Taxonomy on this lesson plan was good as well. Overall I thought it was a solid lesson plan and only needed a few tweaks. Thank you for sharing your presentation Clint.

Lesson Plan Presentations from 11-15-17

These are my comments from class on 11-15-17. There were four other presenters besides myself. I am so glad we had enough time to go through everyone's lesson plans. The first presenter to share was Carman Seay, on her lesson of 2nd grade two digit addition word problems. She allowed 65 minutes for her lesson. I wonder if 65 minutes might be a little lengthy for a lesson, but it is Math so, it could take that long. I really liked her fall themed word problems idea. Which, could also be winter themed, spring, or some other holiday type of theme around different times of the year. I feel like starting off with writing the word problems in pairs of students, would maybe be best; as I feel like it could be hard for different students to write a whole problem. I thought Carman had good use of Bloom's Taxonomy. Also, from last week when she presented her first lesson; I felt like she showed good use of the standards and in connecting them to each lesson.

Linsey Johnson was next to present her lesson plan on 1st grade writing. It was based on fairy tales and was 60 minutes in length. I felt like I missed her anticipatory set. However, I found this video on a site of free educational videos and thought this might make a good hook or anticipatory set; the site is:   http://www.watchknowlearn.org/Video.aspx?VideoID=9735&CategoryID=2587

I liked a few different things about Linsey's lesson plan. I liked that there was an example on the board for the students to view as they work. I think this is a very useful idea. I also loved how the story map reflected the three little pigs story they were studying; this was very cute. I did notice that the objective was maybe missing and the standards. The standards or frameworks were hard initially for me to find. I found a site that makes it easy to know what standard is for what. It allows you to pick your grade and subject and the standard to go with. It is called  https://www.commoncurriculum.com/  It allowed me to type in my lesson plans really easily.
Linsey's second lesson plan was based on 2nd grade writing as well; with an emphasis on Goldilocks And The Three Bears. Once again I loved the story map used; that matches the theme, very cute. I felt like I was still missing the objectives and standards. One of the things I had to ask myself and think about when building a lesson plan was..."What do the students already know?", "What do they need to review?", and "What do I want them to learn?". These questions were very useful for me; in coming up with lessons.

The next presenter was Sara Clark. Sara did her lesson plan on 5th grade and the Unit was Landforms. I got very confused on which lesson plan was which. But, that also means they were very cohesive. Each lesson was around 50 minutes long. I felt like maybe the condition was missing on her objective; but I could be wrong. She gave students opportunity to make extra credit points if they were completed more quickly. I don't like the idea of extra credit points unless students have done all of their normal work; not just to make up points when they didn't do the work in the first place. At the same time, maybe those students who are finished more quickly, as long as they are correct in what they have done, could help students who are struggling. I felt like she had a good hook and her lesson plans overall were very interesting.

Gabi Berry was the next presenter and did her lesson plan on 1st grade writing with a lesson titled in Small Moment Stories. It is planned to be 45 minutes long. Gabi's objective was pretty composed and she had a very good display of the standards. The topic she chose about Pete The Cat was a good decison; since kids love Pete The Cat, even my own children. I love the idea of having "Cat Chow" during the video and that Gabi took into consideration that some students have allergies. I felt like she did a good job linking Pete The Cat to their own cats. I really also liked the journal entries based on pictures they looked at. The students can be very creative with the pictures. She also did a good job including the making of inferences and predictions of Pete The Cat. I didn't know what to think about her closure though. I was understanding that the closure should be a type of activity. Otherwise, this was an interesting lesson. Gabi's lesson two was based on Dogs instead of cats. She had a good use of standards. I loved the idea of the dog tag and collar for the "students" to wear. Gabi had a good reminder and review of the previous lesson. The magic wand thing she told us about was terribly cute; in turning the students into dogs. I liked her use of the picture walk again and I think table groups are a good idea. I also liked the pictures in the basket idea she used. Overall, Gabi had a fairly solid lesson plan.
Thank you to everyone who presented. 

Second Set of Lesson Plan Presentation Reviews

In this class period we heard from Crystal Richardson. Her first lesson plan was for 6th grade Science. The lesson was on Abiotic and Biotic organisms and was planned for 50 minutes. I liked the lesson idea a lot better after I found out the grade level it was for. I didn't know at first it was for 6th grade. I missed that portion, because I was obtaining my five year old son a pretzel snack. One of the pieces I recognized that was missing was an example of an exit paper question. I felt like I wanted to know what one of them might be. I like to build of others ideas or know others experiences. Another piece I noticed was not present was the lesson differentiation. I feel like if there was a special needs student; the lesson differentiation could be a more simplified worksheet involving the subject matter. There are a variation of worksheets throughout the internet. One example of a worksheet I found was this:

Overall the presentation was an interesting topic. In Crystal's second lesson plan she talked about ecosystems, as well as, the Abiotic and Biotic organisms. I liked how she linked the lessons and that it is going to lead up to webs or food chains. I liked the idea of using Web quest. I just wondered how the students were going to print the Web quest. Again, the piece I noticed that was missing was the differentiated lesson. I do like the activity involved of creating their own ecosystem project. As a parent, I love seeing these art and craft projects come home; they are so fun.

The next presenter was Michelle Perry. Her first lesson was for 2nd grade Math. I thought her layout was very cute and seasonal. I think the idea for a review at the beginning of the year is a good idea. This is a way you can gauge where your student's knowledge lies. I am not sure about the length of the review being 2 weeks long. I think it would just depend on you knowing how long it takes and what you can get done. I did like the use of cards with the symbols on them for adding tools, very neat idea since kids love games. Another thing I liked was that students were working at various stations. You could have time to work with lagging skills with other students. I didn't get to see a lot of Michelle's second lesson due to glitches. However, she had a good list of teaching standards. She also expanded upon her review to include two addends. Also, the worksheets were very cute and fun.

The third presenter, presented one of her lesson plans this week. This was Carman Seay. Her first lesson involved 2nd grade Math. I thought her lesson was very thorough. Although, I felt I was missing the Objective. The introduction was very detailed but I couldn't decipher what the objective was. I wasn't entirely clear on what her anticipatory set was, but that could of been just my own confusion. Again, very detailed lesson plan; which was nice. I liked the spider 2 digit addition puzzle game idea and I really liked the song idea for remembering regrouping. Overall, interesting and creative.
Thanks to everyone who presented.
I also found you guys another website that I like for Math here is the website: https://www.coolmath4kids.com/

Lesson Plan Presentations for 11-1-17

     In class tonight we heard lesson plan presentations from Amanda Stander, Doug Krieger, and Christina Massman. On Amanda's first presentation she covered content standards well within the basis of the lesson. Although, I was originally wandering how a whole unit could be based on one book. Then, I found out that she was using a different story for the next lesson. I also liked that the lesson of the book "The Lorax"; teaches morals and values about treating the environment well.  Amanda's next lesson was based on the book "Stand Tall Molly Lou Melon". I felt this lesson covered content standards well also. I liked that the lesson worked with the students on analyzing personality traits and feelings. I liked that "Flip grid" was introduced; I didn't know anything about it until this presentation. The lesson also did well at comparing and contrasting. This is a video I liked, that explains how to use flipgrid.

The next presenter was Doug Krieger. The first lesson plan he presented he used Kahoot as a assessment tool. I thought this was a good idea; so that the students aren't necessarily stressed by taking a traditional initial assessment test. I did, however, feel as if the Kahoots presentation or test went too fast for me to have enough time to answer all the questions. In a regular classroom environment it would have probably been a little different. I really thought it was an interesting use of pop music in the youtube video; to relate to the students and display an example. The only other opinion I have about Doug's first presentation; was I wished that there were varied slides, pictures, or something a little more engaging. In Doug's second presentation, I thought he was good at explaining the "Model" of similes. But, I thought he should have had Kahoot loaded up. If it was a real classroom you would have to have everything loaded ahead of time. I did think he had a good closure and reminders of what the class will go over for the next day. I also thought the exit ticket strategy was interesting; of writing one simile that the student came up with.

Christina Massman was the last to present. In her first presentation she did a good job comparing and contrasting taste. In our district, the tasting items would have to be healthy foods per our lovely, newly implemented district policy. So, they couldn't have candy or you wouldn't want to have them manipulating candy if it was in another activity; as they would want to eat it. The "Five Senses" song that we listened to was very silly, fun, and refreshing. This presentation was not boring and I had a thought that you could also have the students point to different parts of their bodies during the song. This lesson surprised me by including writing; which I was pleased about. Overall, I liked her lesson a lot. Christina's second lesson was also equally engaging. However, I don't know if I would use the same books and videos for my next lesson; as I would be nervous that they would be bored. I personally would maybe use the same video but different book or vice versa. One of the last concerns I had was regarding the length of the lesson at one and a half hours. This seemed like a lot of time spent on one lesson. I really liked the handout of "hearing" the things you hear. There were also good differentiation strategies planned especially for a student who may have certain impairments.

Thank you for everyone who shared their lesson plan presentations this week. They were very educational.

Thinking Maps In YOUR Classroom

In class tonight we talked about thinking maps. I have always disliked filling out thinking maps even when I was in school. I felt like it was time consuming and boring; but this is because I didn't have trouble writing my papers. I have always been full of thought and typically have spoken my thoughts and sometimes when I shouldn't. I am much better at reserving some of my thoughts now; as I have gotten older and more mature. Writing papers still comes very easy to me, but as an educator I realize that is not always the case for everyone; especially younger students. I do believe that thinking maps can be useful in the classroom; to facilitate the writing process. I think they should be explained thoroughly on how to use them or why they are being used; so students don't think they are busy work and can find them useful. Now, my thoughts tend to be scattered at some point, every now and then, so I can see thinking maps being useful for corralling thoughts as well. I am so glad that Mrs. Steffes showed us examples of different kinds of thinking maps. I like having options and it is important for the student to have an option, for a thinking map, that works best for them. I liked the bridge map quite a bit myself; however I wouldn't use it for every writing activity. I would probably use it when contrasting and comparing, maybe characters or other items, in a story. Different maps can be used different ways and for some reason the only thinking map I was ever provided as a kid was the bubble map; very boring.

I know I would have enjoyed a little variety. I plan to go over and print off several different kinds of thinking maps for students to use in my classroom. I was always a very compliant and pleasant student, but as we all know students are more engaged and work better when they can make their own choices. I found this video and thought it explained a little more about some different thinking maps and how they can be implemented in your classroom.

What I Learned About How to Teach

I viewed videos 1,2,3,4,5,6, of the "Teaching Like a Champion" videos and video 60 of "Student Engagement and Motivation Tips-How to Engage Your Students". I found that I really like videos by Rob Plevin. I find his videos more engaging, motivating, and informative than a lot of other videos; he is a pro when it comes to the education world I feel. I am glad his video was one we were required to watch and kind of wish I had known ahead that his videos were ones we could chose to watch, lol. The videos 1-6 of "Teaching Like a Champion", I watched, were informative and I learned several new things that were useful; however, I found them a little dull. Sorry, personal preference I presume.

Teach Like a Champion Blog Link 

In  "Teaching Like a Champion" video 1- Teach like a champion 2.0; I learned what the site is about and that they use the virtuous cycle of continuously getting better as a principle. There are two books 1.0 and 2.0 and the main differences between the two books mentioned are the upgrades to make teachers even more productive, some new content, and prioritization. In this video I also learned that there is a Teach Like a Champion blog; where educators can collaborate.

In  "Teaching Like a Champion" video 2- Teach like a champion- Technique 1 No Opt Out; I learned about not letting students "Opt Out" in class. Teachers have to set high academic expectations for the students. When a student answers "I don't know", to a question asked; the teacher ask a different student the same question. When the second student gives the correct response; you readdress the original student and ask them the question again. In this manner you are supposed to be letting the class know; that they can't get off the hook. I appreciate this procedure in some respects. However, I think you have to know which students you are asking the question. If you have a student who is special needs and perhaps has opposition defiance order or something to that effect; and you preform this with them, this could alienate, single out, or be destructive to them. Especially if they still don't understand the second time you ask the question.

 In  "Teaching Like a Champion" video 3- Teach like a champion- Technique 2 Right is Right; I learned that you should hold your student's learning to a high standard. If you accept the wrong answer you are only setting up the whole classroom for a lower classroom standard. As a teacher, you should only accept correct answers. In technique 1 of this process you hold out for the right answer and tell the student they are almost there; but they need to keep going to get to the correct answer. Stay positive towards the students in this approach. In technique 2, if a student gives you a random answer to your question; redirect them back to your original question. In technique 3; if a student gets ahead of you and answers the question before you are done asking it, and you are looking for the steps as the answer...you can redirect the student into giving the right answer at the right time. Technique 4 involves the use of technical vocabulary. In this method, teachers expect or push for precise answers as correct instead of the students use of familiar words. This video also suggested for the teacher to set and defend what is acceptable in your classroom; expecting your student's best. I feel that I will try, at least, to always expect my student's best work; this is the kind of education they deserve. I think you have to know when to stop pushing though; so as to not have them close off from you completely.

In  "Teaching Like a Champion" video 4- Teach like a champion- Technique 3 Stretch It; I learned that the process of learning doesn't need to end with the right answer being given. The teacher should reward the correct answer with follow up questions. This process helps to activate cognitive thinking and allows for you to know if the students answers are able to be replicated or if they have mastery of the subject. This also helps you to tell what level everyone is on individually. I like asking a lot of questions; so I don't mind this process. However, I would monitor yourself, as to not ask to many questions; where you have then ended up wasting time or cutting into your next lesson's time.

In  "Teaching Like a Champion" video 5- Teach like a champion- Technique 4 Format Matters; I learned that students need to be able to express their knowledge in a variety of formats. As their teacher you can teach them to use language to best help them in life; preparing them for business and job opportunities. Also, be aware that students may chose to use their language of opportunity only in school settings. The highest format needs to be reinforced; as it is very hard to correct at a later date. The types of format included are grammatical (speaking proper English), complete sentences, audible, and unit. Specifics involving audible format include; using the word "voice" to get students to speak up. When used this allows for little time wasting or nagging. Specifically regarding unit format; be sure to have students use singulars, plurals, punctuation, capitalization, and proper nouns correctly. And, it's not just what they say; but how and why they are saying something.

I will NOT apologize for teaching you!

 In  "Teaching Like a Champion" video 6- Teach like a champion- Technique 5 Without Apology; I learned that sometimes the way teachers talk about their expectations or lessons, inadvertently lowers them. The teacher's job is to make even the most dull or uninteresting subject engaging. Also, don't apologize for the difficulty of the material or the student having to work outside their own comfort zone. The video suggested to act like everything you teach is extremely important.

In video 60-Student Engagement and motivation tips- How to engage your students; I learned that you have to meet the students needs or they will meet them their selves. This can cause disruption and misbehavior. The lessons we give the students can vary from difficult to boring and students that are completely uninterested make up their minds before they even enter your classroom; on whether they are going to work or not. This is based typically on previous negative classroom experiences. You have to first change their negative attitudes and energy before you can teach to them. There are things you can include in your lessons to get them to start to turn around. These things are needs focused approaches such as; success, achievement, recognition, and praise. These all give the student a sense of empowerment. You should also institute a chance for students to cooperate with each other in teams; build a sense of community and build supportive relationships. This fosters a sense of belonging. To have a fun classroom environment you should incorporate activity, humor, novelty, challenge, and variety in your lessons. I really enjoyed the information that i got from this video in particular and plan to watch some more of Rob Plevin's videos in the future.

Backwards design and what you should know

The quote pictured above, by Wiggins and McTighe, for some reason clarified things for me. Sometimes it is a difference in how something is said or in how you read things; that makes for better understanding. I feel like I learned a few different things from class. I learned that there is a lot of information for aspiring teachers to keep up with and take in. I am trying to stay calm and not work myself up with all the new information I have learned. I have learned quite a bit about backwards designing; especially since I didn't know much to begin with. A collaborative setting is typically involved. I learned that when you are planning; you should planning for what you want the students to know. Also, what you want them to understand and be able to do. As well, what will the ultimate transfer be for the students? Are the students engaged through you asking the right questions? How do you know that the students understood it? The answer...Assessment Evidence. You can use performance based tasks for assessment and formative assessments. 

To Collaborate...Or To Collaborate

I used to feel a little frustrated by the thought of having to teach someone else's lesson plan. I was told that the elementary teachers work in grade level teams to plan lessons. Such as, all the first grade teachers work together or "collaborate" and one teacher is in charge of making all the lessons for only Math or one teacher is in charge of making all the lessons for Reading and so on. I have come to feel more comfortable with the idea of being able to collaborate with other teachers that will be teaching the same grade. Collaboration leads me to believe that you can get more accomplished in less time and you will have more brains to pick when it comes to lesson ideas. I hope that I can be a team player and do well at it, specifically in the technology area of things. This article has gave me some better thoughts toward collaboration and I would encourage anyone to read this. Especially, if you feel you might be on the fence about the whole process. Link:  http://www.creating-teaching-inspiring.com/2015/10/the-new-age-of-professional-development.html
There are two videos below; that I thought were useful.

My Favorite Site For a Solid Lesson Plan

In class I went to the sites our Teacher listed. I clicked on a few links within those sites and found an awesome lesson plan builder model. It is like a desk planner. However, it has the convenience of being at your fingertips all the time through the use of your phone. It even has options for sharing, if you want to share it with your colleagues. It allows you to build lesson plans for every day throughout the school year. You are also able to chose when your school year ends and starts. I chose the free version; when I signed up. I am sure the paid versions are even more awesome and are not terribly expensive. I believe the next level, for which you pay for, is $4.99 a month. That is less than a subscription to your favorite television streaming company and this equally, if not more so, keeps your sanity. I am excited to start building some lesson plans through this site.
https://www.commoncurriculum.com/

This is a link to the lesson plan I created on this awesome website: Tiffannie Nitcher's Planbook

The Importance Of A Lesson Plan

Having a well written lesson plan is very important for any and every classroom. It is essential firstly, in being able to have good management over your classroom. If you didn't have a lesson plan and were just "winging it" there would likely be a lot of time gaps in activity. When you have those gaps unfilled; the students get restless and you will start seeing more behaviors to manage within the room. When you have your lessons well planned out; half the work is done. A good lesson plan has a good lesson that students learn from, can understand, can actively apply, makes them critically think, and helps them make connections within their lives. Lesson plans help teachers evaluate students based on what they learned. They provide a base for which the teacher can look back on and gauge how much of the material was learned by the student. In short, lesson plans help teachers keep some resemblance of organization and sanity.

My Super Clean House

My two children will both each have 100 percent of their toys picked up out of the living room floor and their bedroom floor and put in their toy boxes, every day after school, for the rest of their childhood lives.

First Night Class Reflection

On our first night of class, I really enjoyed learning the things we went over. I was interested to hear several people share how their grade school experiences were not so great. It is amazing, in a good way, that those individuals; who had a rough time are still willing to teach and continue learning. That is definitely a show of perseverance. It was also interesting to see the percentages associated with each answer on the questions. I can definitely see myself using the poll site for all kinds of things. How easy would it be to take polls for example, if you wanted to know what kind of class party everyone prefers. It is also a good way to keep everyone's opinions private and not singling out a particular student with hand raising. As sometimes students will raise their hand too, to fit in with the populous. I still can't believe that tonight I made my first blog and am posting for the first time ever, right now. As an educator and Mom of two younger children; I try to stay informed on current technologies. However, using some of the new technologies doesn't always happen. When I get the opportunity to learn how to use the different technologies I take it. I can't wait to do all the fun things I know we are going to learn and work through all the hard work involved.