AH! The end is here. I am excited to be able to say I am an official fellow however, I am sad because I will miss all of the amazing people in this group. Each day my head has been flooded with a wealth of knowledge from my peers and leaders. The experience has challenged me, encouraged me and empowered me! I feel like a more confident writer and I now know specific areas of my writing I can work on to improve. The joy of writing is back in my life and even though I am only going to be a second year teacher I feel like I am going to be a great teacher next year because of the SI. I can’t wait to start researching my next question: What is the most effective strategy for teaching letters? If anyone has any information on this topic or knows someone who has done any research in this area please let me know. I am very excited about finding the solution to this question. Last year I was very upset about the “rules” we had to follow for teaching letters and I am hoping to be able to show a better strategy next year with research to support me.
Reflection June 29, 2010
Thank you to everyone who posted feedback on the GCTE proposal.
The demo. today was great! A tough subject to teach was layed out in a more friendly way. I love how it took the idea of teaching grammar in isolation and naturally and put them together. The 60 second idea is amazing and could be used in any subject area.
Only two days left… can you believe we made it to this point fellows?
Music in the Classroom June 28, 2010
I LOVE the idea of using music in the classroom. There are so many different ways I already use music in my classroom. I was excited to gain more ideas to use in the classrooms! I am excited on a Monday! Woohoo! I want to have my students tell me what they think about a song we sing in our class! Maybe they could even help make up words for a new song to an old favorite tune.
Writing with Your Eyes: Using Picture Books as Mentor Texts June 28, 2010
Come explor using picture books to develop and encourage writers of all ages. Students will be highly engaged as they use short texts to mentor strong writing skills.
FRIDAY Post June 25, 2010
As I sit and process through today many thoughts run through my head….
- I love the four corner format for discussion we did today. Could I use that with 4 year olds? What would I teach? Any thoughts?
- I am glad the demo is over. Now that I have run through it I can see some adjustments I could make. One being that if I presented it again hopefully I would be speaking to a narrow group and could really go deeper with that grade level.
- Metaphor’s could be used with my students in small doeses, but would be a great way to teach them new vocabulary! As well as, give them background knowledge in metaphor’s without having a lesson or discussion about it!
WOOHOO! So many good ideas.
Thanks!
Be the Change June 24, 2010
WOW! I was so challenged today to empower my students to make a difference. It can be so easily taught throughout the curriculum. Many books address social issues that can be discussed along with other topics. I am excited about starting back in the fall with this new idea. I feel that the impact will stretch far beyond just my classroom. I plan on discussing the social issues with my students by helping them identify the feelings they have and create ways on their own to deal with the feelings.
Teaching Empathy through blogs June 23, 2010
The demos today were great! I got some great ideas for the classroom. I thought about the last two demos working together. You could teach empathy and have students feel for each other or post P.O.V activities! Not only is this experience stretching my writing it is also stretching my teaching! Thank you all who have a part in the SI 2010!
Math and Writing June 22, 2010
The math/writing teacher demonstration not only inspired me to try to link math and writing but, link writing with all content area’s more intentionally. My students are young and mainly use manipulative to demonstrate math competency however, I could have them verbally dictate their thoughts. I could record their responses and use it as an assessment guiding me towards my next instruction focus. I am excited about all of the ideas I have gathered from the summer institute that will make my job easier next year so that I can focus on improving other aspects of my teaching!
Writing Group Shuffle June 21, 2010
When we decided to change writing groups today I wasn’t thrilled with the idea. I felt comfortable with my writing group. However, as usual in life, being streached was good for me. It was awesome to hear perspective from a different group of people. I also enjoyed hearing the piece other fellows had been working hard on during the past few weeks.
Reflection 6/18/10 June 18, 2010
It was interesting to see the different responces to the questions asked about our feelings, passions, etc. Most people in the class felt okay or less about their writing and commented that they need more time to write! I def. fall into this group. It was great to see that some people feel confident. I need to get with them and feed off of their confidence! It was also interesting to read the responces to writing experiences. There were no negative reactions! I am pleased to know there are at least 17 teachers who can pass along positive writing experiences!
