Now that this class is coming to an end, I can think of many exciting changes that will be coming to my classroom as a result of taking part in this class. I have never taught content in "units". Rather, content was taught in isolation. Teaching in units allows for more cross-curricular activities to take place and allows the students to gain a deeper depth of knowledge. I have already compiled a few fabulous instructional units that I will be using with my class.
Previously, I have completed one service learning project with my class. However, I feel my next service learning project will be of more value to my students due to my experiences in this class. I feel more prepared to engage my students in service learning and understand the different components of service learning. I am super excited to introduce Reduce, Reuse, Recycyle! to my class and plan to encourage other grades to participate in service learning.
Overall, this was a great class and a positive learning experience. I will use the resources from the wiki page, as well as the insttructional plans and service learning projects to enhance my own classroom. I
Saturday, July 16, 2011
Saturday, July 9, 2011
Instructional Plan
Title: Reduce, Reuse, RECYCLE!
My instructional plan was created for a second grade class that will be partnering up with a fifth grade class. They will be completing a unit on recycling. Read alouds will be conducted using two Michael Recycle books. The students will complete a webquest, create a brochure to inform community members about recycling and create a digital commercial to inform other students how to participate in the recycling program. The commercials will be shown during "Family Literacy Night" to the parents.
The students will also "clean the streets of Silver Grove" by walking the city and collecting recyclable items as well as picking up trash around the city. The students will complete a culminating activity by reusing milk jugs to make "jug heads." Detailed instruction can be found here to make the jug heads. To measure if the plan was successful, I will analyze the digital commercials and the community/parental involvement.
My instructional plan was created for a second grade class that will be partnering up with a fifth grade class. They will be completing a unit on recycling. Read alouds will be conducted using two Michael Recycle books. The students will complete a webquest, create a brochure to inform community members about recycling and create a digital commercial to inform other students how to participate in the recycling program. The commercials will be shown during "Family Literacy Night" to the parents.
The students will also "clean the streets of Silver Grove" by walking the city and collecting recyclable items as well as picking up trash around the city. The students will complete a culminating activity by reusing milk jugs to make "jug heads." Detailed instruction can be found here to make the jug heads. To measure if the plan was successful, I will analyze the digital commercials and the community/parental involvement.
Friday, July 1, 2011
Partnering with the WAVE Foundation
Module 4:
Locating and Partnering with Co-Teachers Plan
1- Name the professional educator you plan to partner with. Include the following information:
a. Annie Ogonek
b. WAVE Foundation Educational Curator
c. Email: aogonek@newportaquarium.com
Phone: 859-815-1442
2- Describe the plan you have made with this person.
a. How will you bring what they have to offer to your students?
Writing is an area that I am trying to improve in my classroom. I have found the best writing comes when there is a spark of interest. My students completed a feature article last year on an animal of their choice and thought it would be a great addition to our writing toolbox to write about marine life. Most of my students have never been to the ocean or to any large body of water. Therefore, I contacted the Newport Aquarium to see what services they offered to primary students. I was astounded by all of the options I had for my classroom when visiting. Because I am in a school with a high poverty rate, the cost of a field trip is always a concern. The WAVE Foundation has been established and is operated by generous donations from individuals and businesses. This allows underprivileged students to visit the Newport Aquarium and receive a Finstitute Class when grant money is available! I have been placed on an email list to receive notification when grant money is available.
The contact person at the WAVE Foundation is Annie Ogonek. Annie is an Educational Curator. She works with the teachers to plan each component of the field trip. I learned that the field trip experience actually starts at school in the classroom. Students will receive an information/study guide packet to complete before the trip. They will being the packet with them to make observations and take notes during their experiences. They will attend a Finstitute Class where they will gain hands-on learning experiences about Penguins. After the trip, students will be able to “Ask a Biologist” a question they may have thought of during the trip via their website.
The contact person at the WAVE Foundation is Annie Ogonek. Annie is an Educational Curator. She works with the teachers to plan each component of the field trip. I learned that the field trip experience actually starts at school in the classroom. Students will receive an information/study guide packet to complete before the trip. They will being the packet with them to make observations and take notes during their experiences. They will attend a Finstitute Class where they will gain hands-on learning experiences about Penguins. After the trip, students will be able to “Ask a Biologist” a question they may have thought of during the trip via their website.
The following are programs available to students at the Aquarium. These are offered through the Finstitute class for an additional charge to general admission. For detailed information about any of the programs offered, visit here!
· Fabulous Frogs* (Grades PreK-5)
· Scales & Tails* (Grades PreK-12)
• Hands-on animal encounters
· All About Penguins** (Grades K-5)
· What You Otter Know** (Grades 1-5)
· Incredible Invertebrates* (Grades 1-5)
· Surrounded by Sharks (Grades 3-8)
· Sea Turtles* (Grades 3-8)
· Wild About Water (Grades 3-8)
· Scuba Science (Grades 3-8)
· Career Talks (Grades 7-12)
What technologies will you use? (video/voice technologies, etc?)
*Conclude the unit with a “Movie Review” Party of “Mr. Popper’s Penguins.”
3. What are the school disciplines and specific national, state, district or school standards that it will address?
SC-EP-3.4.1
Students will explain the basic needs of organisms.
Organisms have basic needs. For example, animals need air, water and food; plants need air, water, nutrients and light. Organisms can survive only in environments in which their needs can be met.
SC-EP-3.4.2
Students will understand that things in the environment are classified as living, nonliving and once living. Living things differ from nonliving things. Organisms are classified into groups by using various characteristics (e.g., body coverings, body structures).
SC-EP-3.4.3
Students will describe the basic structures and related functions of plants and animals that contribute to growth, reproduction and survival.
Each plant or animal has observable structures that serve different functions in growth, survival and reproduction. For example, humans have distinct body structures for walking, holding, seeing and talking. These observable structures should be explored to sort, classify, compare and describe organisms.
SC-EP-3.4.4
Students will describe a variety of plant and animal life cycles to understand patterns of the growth, development, reproduction and death of an organism.
Plants and animals have life cycles that include the beginning of life, growth and development, reproduction and death. The details of a life cycle are different for different organisms. Observations of different life cycles should be made in order to identify patterns and recognize similarities and differences.
How will you assess what your students have learned?
· Analyze data from pre and post assessment.
· Students create a digital story explaining what they learned.
· Students collaborate together to create a tri-fold board showing their experiences and what they have learned.
· Students create a brochure.
· Oral Report
Friday, June 24, 2011
Service Learning Plan
Title of Project: Read it! Recycle it!
Grade Level: 2nd
Number of Students Participating: 17
Contributed by:
Teacher: Erin King
School: Silver Grove Elementary
District or County: Silver Grove Independent School District
Overview/Description of Project: In this project, students will learn why it is important to recycle and will set out to inform community members. They will teach others what can be recycled and an easy way for them to incorporate recycling into their homes and daily lives.
Goals: Students will learn what items can be recycled. They will create a flyer to inform the community members how they can incorporate recycling. Students will pass the flyers out to the community and will help organize a recycling program within the school.
Core Content Areas:
SS-EP-1.3.2
Students will identify and give examples of good citizenship at home, at school and in the community (e.g., helping with chores, obeying rules, participating in community service projects such as recycling, conserving natural resources, donating food/supplies) and explain why civic engagement in the community is important.
W.2.2. Write informative/explanatory texts in which they introduce a topic, use facts and definitions to develop points, and provide a concluding statement or section.
Service Learning Project Members
a. Students and Teachers: All 2nd grade students and teacher will be involved in the project to learn how important and easy recycling is.
b. Parents will be informed of our project prior to beginning. Parents will be encouraged to set up a recycling station in their home.
Timeline:
| Timeline | Activity |
| Week 1 | · Read fiction and non-fiction books. · Play sorting game. · Learn community resources available for recycling. · Journal Entry: List 3 items that you can recycle. |
| Week 2 | · Groups will begin rough draft for flyer. · Journal Entry: Name two items you recycled this week. |
| Week 3 | · Groups will publish flyer. · Journal Entry: Why do you think some people do not recycle? |
| Week 4 | · Flyers will be circulated in the community. · Journal Entry: Describe how your family could recycle more items. |
| Week 5 | · A “Community Clean Up” will take place. Students will pick up trash and recycle appropriate items. · Journal Entry: Describe three items you found and recycled during the “Community Clean Up.” |
| Week 6 | · Survey and data results will be calculated. · Journal Entry: Based on the survey results, do you think more people are recycling since we began our project? |
| Week 7 | · Digital Story/Commercial will be produced. · Journal Entry: Explain your favorite part of our service learning project. |
| Week 8 | · Celebrations will take place. Community newspaper will be contacted, selected journal entries will be displayed in the school library and public library, digital story will be available on the school website. |
Benefits for Students:
· Students will learn the importance of recycling and how to implement recycling into their home.
· Students will learn what a responsible citizens role is in the community.
· Students will use digital media.
· Students will inform community members.
Measuring Success:
· A survey of various community members will be conducted after flyers have been circulated in the community.
· Journal Entries
· Digital Stories
Celebration:
To celebrate our service learning project, students will publish their survey results in the local and school newspaper. The digital story will be posted on the school website and will be shown at the monthly school board meeting. Selected journal entries will be displayed I the school and public library
Monday, June 13, 2011
Permanent Change
I have developed my Professional Growth Plan to help me grow in the area of writing. Therefore, I was super excited to find the "Writer's Checklist." My students always struggle with conventions and word choices when writing. This checklist is something that could be kept in their writing folder. I would give them a copy of it for each piece they are writing as well as have a class size poster hanging in the room for everyday writing. Hopefully this tool will help them remember to add the correct conventions and help them organize their writing. How will this permanently change my teaching? After the skills are taught explicitly, I will expect the students to carry this over to their writing. I will spend less time during conferencing talking about punctuation and staying on topic.
Here is the link to the page...click on Another Checklist for First Grade Writer's Workshop to open the word document.
http://www.carlscorner.us.com/Write.htm
Here is the link to the page...click on Another Checklist for First Grade Writer's Workshop to open the word document.
http://www.carlscorner.us.com/Write.htm
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
3 Engaging Strategies
Hello! I am currently a 1st grade teacher. I have taught 1st grade for the last 4 years and I LOVE it! I find it difficult to engage and guide my students during "Writing Workshop." Therefore, I have chosen to read the 6 + 1 Traits of Writing. Three strategies I currently use to engage my students are:
1. I create a ton of visual displays. I use pictures and vary the colors I use to engage my students and to make it easier for them to refer back to the visual aid at a later time. 6+1 Traits of Writing suggests creating a poster with pictures that represent each of the writing traits.
2. My students use choice boards during literacy workstations. Since they are choosing their activity, they are more actively engaged.
3. Technology! I have a Smartboard in my classroom and I use it to present almost all of my information. The information is delivered in an interactive manner, which engages the learner.
1. I create a ton of visual displays. I use pictures and vary the colors I use to engage my students and to make it easier for them to refer back to the visual aid at a later time. 6+1 Traits of Writing suggests creating a poster with pictures that represent each of the writing traits.
2. My students use choice boards during literacy workstations. Since they are choosing their activity, they are more actively engaged.
3. Technology! I have a Smartboard in my classroom and I use it to present almost all of my information. The information is delivered in an interactive manner, which engages the learner.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)