Practicum - Week 8

This was my last week at my practicum. I was so sad to leave my kids! They were winding down with their Social Studies Unit on government and reviewing for a test. My teacher split the students into small groups to go over the study guide. My last day at practicum, the students worked on informational writing during their Science/Social Studies time. My teacher iformed me that next week the students will be starting their unit on Rocks and Minerals. I'm sad that I will miss this unit!

Practicum - Week 7

This week in practicum my students were still studying Social Studies. They were discussing different branches of government (local, state, and national). They were divided up into three groups and each group was assigned a branch of the government. Students were expected to draw a picture and describe the job of that particular branch. They did these posters for each sets of government: local, state, and national. My teacher hung the students posters in the room so they could reference them throughout their study on the government. This week I also got to teach a lesson on American Symbols. Essentially I wanted students to be able locate two American symbols: the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument. I began the lesson by asking the students what were symbols. We also discussed monuments. I then used a PowerPoint created by Teacher's Clubhouse on "American Symbols" and displayed it on the SmartBoard. It was a very informative PowerPoint and the students really enjoyed guessing what the symbols were and learning about why they were important to America. After we finished the powerpoint, I passed out blank sheets of paper and asked students to choose a symbol we had discussed, draw a picture of it, and write around 5 sentences telling why that symbol was important to America. The students were really engaged in this lesson. The students loved interacting with the SmartBoard!

Practicum - Week 6

This week in practicum my students started social studies. They were learning about rights and responsibilities as citizens. They played a game called "Rights and Responsibilities" in groups of four in which they rolled dice and had to decide with certain rights what type of responsibility comes with that. The students really enjoyed the game. They also watched a video on rights and responsibilites that I found on United Streaming. It was a great video and it also had a video quiz at the end. I really liked how my teacher integrates a variety of resources into her teaching. She uses children's books, videos, powerpoints, the textbook, and many more. The students love changing things up and not doing the same thing everyday!

Practicum - Week 5

This week in practicum, my class finished up Science and next week we will be starting Social Studies. On Tuesday, I taught a lesson on "Changes in Habitats" focusing on what happens to a habitat after fire. They always have something to share and seem to really enjoy the discussions. We discussed how a forest fire can be harmful, but also helpful for different types of organisms that live in the forest. The kids really get into the science lessons! Then, on Thursday, we did a review because their science test was scheduled for the next day. My teacher went through the study guide with the students. She also had prepared a powerpoint that she displayed on the SmartBoard with the questions and four choices for answers and then she would ask the students what was the correct answer. The students really enjoyed the review!

Practicum - Week 4

This week in practicum, my class was studying "Habitats of Georgia". The one day I observed the students were discussing the swamp/marsh region. To open up the lesson, my teacher let the students watch a video clip from "The Magic School Bus" about the swamp area. The students loved the video! I actually learned some things from watching the video. After the video was over, the teacher had the students get out their science books and they went over the lesson about the swamp/marsh region. After they went over the lesson, the teacher passed out these little booklets about the swamp and we went over them as a class. At the end of the booklet, there were questions that the students were supposed to answer about what they had read. At the end of the lesson, the students turned in the booklet for a grade.

My Mealworm: Bonquiqui

In our classroom, we have pet mealworms. I have chosen to name mine Bonquiqui. Students love having something to take care of and mealworms don't require a lot of work. Sometimes you can use them as a reward for students, for example, if they behave you let them sit it on their desk during class. Mealworms are also great to use when discussing life cycles because they change form. Students will love to one day see their worm and then the next day, it may be a bug! You could also use the mealworms to do certain experiments or by making predictions about what types of food the mealworms may like. There are so many activities you can do with mealworms. It's really easy to find resources online, too!

Practicum - Week 3

This week in practicum, my students learned where to locate the regions in Georgia. They had an introduction lesson to their unit, "Habitats of Georgia," which they are about to start. In the lesson, my teacher used the SmartBoard in which she displayed a map of Georgia with blank sections mapped off. She then divided the class up into four groups and gave them all their own blank map of Georgia. She then told the groups to predict where each region of Georgia was located and come up with an explanation as to why they believed that. After they were finished, my teacher had each group come up and share where they put each region. It was really neat to hear students reasons for placing certain regions in certain locations. After the class had shared, my teacher told the students the correct location on their maps and told them to fill it in. She also briefly described each region so that the students developed a better understanding of them.