•I would like to know what reading is like across the different grades levels. How students read differently, how lessons differ, etc
•I would like to learn about more strategies and ways to motivate struggling readers.
•I would like to learn more about building confidence in young readers
•I want to learn how to create lessons that incorporate different subject areas (cross curriculum).
•I want to learn how to create a positive learning environment for my students
•I want to learn how to write better, more effective reading lesson plans
•I want to learn the best way to teach a child from a different culture to read

WHAT I LEARNED:
•So much time can be wasted during a school day if you do not prepare enough material for the day, you are not organized, and if you do not have any authority over your classroom
•Rewards for good behavior or good grades on tests will not necessarily motivate students for the long run. Rewards take away from real learning for students. If you have a powerful lesson that is motivating for your students, you should not need rewards in order for them to complete the assignment
•It is important to have access to the books that children are interested in. Frequent trips to the library, a wide variety of books in your classroom, books on tape, cd, DVD, speakers coming to read
•I learned how to deliver effective guided reading lessons through creating a goal, using background knowledge, a purpose, reading/listening, a follow up activity, and an assessment. I learned that the book will be a lot more meaningful to them, and that the students and myself enjoy guided reading lessons
•Scribbles, shapes, letter like forms, copying, prephonemic spelling, and invented spelling, are forms of reading and writing
•I learned how to write an effective big word lesson that will help children develop their spelling and vocabulary
•I learned how to give a QIWK spelling assessment which will help in the future when I need to evaluate my students abilities
•I learned a lot about my pen pal, and the difficulties she has with reading and writing


I thought this was a great assignment. I did not realize how much I had learned in my Re-3030 class until I sat down to really think about it. I am really looking forward to being able to take all of these reading strategies and lessons, and implement them into my very own reading lessons one day in my classroom. I hope that as I continue on into block two and student teaching, I am able to use what I have learned in RE-3030 and create meaningful lessons for my students.

A reflection through poems

The important thing about practicum is that it helped prepare me to become a better teacher
It is an opportunity to teach for the first time in a real classroom setting
It is like teaching in your own classroom, but with people there to support you on your way.
It has students and teachers that are welcoming and thankful
You do lessons and get to know a variety of students
It has helped me feel more comfortable and more confident as a teacher
It’s not as scary as I thought it was going to be
It does prepare me for next semester when I will be doing my internship
But the important thing about practicum is that it helped prepare me to become a better teacher.



The important thing about guided reading is that it is meaningful to the readers.
It is important to use background knowledge prior to reading your book
It is like reading, but with activities incorporated in the text
It has no beginning, middle, and end to the stories you read
You do KWL charts with guided reading lessons
It has a choral reading, echo reading, shared reading, and among many others
It’s not a direct instruction lesson
It does involve interaction and it is a lesson that challenges students
But the important thing about guided reading is that it is meaningful to the readers.



The important things about my classmates are the friendships we share
It is a common bond that we share in block
It is like a family who share their days with each other
It has been wonderful getting to know them and I know we will never lose touch
You do group work, stress about assignments, and watch movies on the way down the mountain
It has been a wonderful semester getting to know these girls and sharing one common interest, becoming future educators
It’s not comforting to know that I will be leaving these girls in block I
It does seem like just yesterday that I first met them and it is sadly enough the end of our semester
But the important things about classmates are the friendships we share




The important thing about Block I is that it prepares you to become successful educators.
It is taught by educators/supporters, Dr. Koppenhaver, Dr. Goodson Espy, and Dr. Clark
It is like a home away from home
It has helped prepare me for Block II, and student teaching
You do lessons, assignments, and have discussions with it.
It has been an educational experience
It’s not direct lecturing
It does help you learn how to teach reading, math, and become more aware of diversity within a classroom
But the important thing about Block I is that it prepares you to become a successful educator.


The important thing about struggling readers is to keep them motivated through engaging books and lessons
It is essential to have a wide variety of books in your classroom that will benefit all struggling readers
It is like learning to ride a bike when your legs are too short
It has been a struggle to motivate struggling readers
You do guided reading lessons using books that interest them.
It has been rewarding to see struggling readers take their next step
It’s not easy to read books that do not interest struggling readers
It does take time and patience
But the important thing about struggling readers is to keep them motivated through engaging books and lessons.


Through creating these poems, I was really able to reflect on the semester. I formed so many relationships through my experience in my Block I classes and Practicum. I became close with professors, my peers, my third grade students, and my cooperating teachers at W.A. Young Elementary. Each person has taught me a little something to help prepare me as a future teacher, and for that, I am eternally greatful. My professors have taught me effective teaching strategies, engaging lessons, how to incorporate diversity into my classroom and lessons, etc. My peers have provided me with their own personal experiences through teaching at W.A. Young, the sharing of ideas, and their passion towards becoming an educator. My cooperating teacher has taught me the appropriate ways to direct a parent teacher conference, personal teaching experiences of his own, strategies for teaching effective lessons to children with behvioral problems, to laugh and not sweat the small stuff, and to appreciate the oppurtunity I have been given. Block I and practicum has been an enlightening experience that I will never forget. I am appreciative to be able to take that I have learned in Block I and practicum, and carry it with me into my teaching career.

Last Day/ Math Lessons Continued

My last day at W.A. Young Elementary was definitly a day to remember. Kathryn and I brought goodies and treats for all of Mr. Rader's classes, and a special gift for Mr. Rader as a way of appreciation. Since we had completed all of our assignments for block, we were able to simply enjoy the short time we had left with our students. The students of Mr. Rader's homeroom wrote us cards that were hillarious, but also very personal.

That day, Mr. Rader did a math lesson using succotash for all three of his math classes. The students were so motivated by this lesson because it was a real life problem that they could relate to. Through practicum, I have learned that manipulatives are key in all of your lessons. While doing my math lessons for practicum, I realized how much more beneficial a lesson can be for students when manipulatives are used. Students seem more engaged in the lesson, and understand the mathematical concepts as a whole.

For one of my math lessons, I taught a measurement and estimation lesson to a low math class. I chose to use this lesson for the low math class because it used a wide variety of manipulatives which can be very effective for students who have behavioral problems. I had students use different objects as forms of measurement. Prior to measuring each item, I had students estimate before finding their actual measurement. Estimation is highly motivating for students. Students love estimating because it is somewhat of a game for them. For one of the acticities, I had my students take a piece of yarn, and measure the length of their smile from one end to the other. I encouraged them to see how long they could make their smile. My students then took the length of their smile, and measured the yarn with a ruler. Rather than working out of their math book, students were able to move around the room, measuring different items, ie: the length of their desk using paperclips, the height of their desk using pencils, the length of the classroom using their own footsteps.

In my other math lesson, we passed out ice cream menus and gave them challenging problems to work out. We also passed out money manipulatives for them to use to represent the different items they were "buying" in the ice cream shop. Through using the money manipulatives and the ice cream menus, children were able to escape reality, and place themselves in their very own ice cream shop, where they had control of what they wanted to buy.

Through giving students power, they are more likely to be engaged in the lesson being taught. Students that are able to relate math to real life contextual problems will be able to appreciate math a lot more. When I become a teacher, I hope to continue to use hands on, interactive acitivies like these in my own classroom. All too often, I see teachers that get tired of creating lessons, and turn to math worksheets and books to teach mathematical concepts. I want my students to understand and experience learning in a positive and enlightening setting. I hope for my classroom to be filled with manipulatives that reinforce learning in my classroom. Whether that be math manipulatives to reinforce learning, or meaningful books that encourage readingin young learners. I hope for my classroom to be a positive, inviting, learning environment for my students.