More Than Half Way!

Overall I would rate this week a 5. I had a great week in the classroom and saw a lot of growth from my students. I was surprised that 16/23 students said all of their sight words this week! 6/23 only missed 1 or 2, and we only had 1 student who did not know any. For the first week having sight words, they did awesome! This week I believe my management has gotten a lot better. I have added different tools to make transitions smoother and to get the students quiet faster. Next week, I know I need to briefly review the letters and letter sounds with my higher groups just for practice, and spend more time with my lower groups on letters and sounds. They were able to get their sight words because I practiced with them so much, but still struggle with identifying their letters and letter sounds. My short-term efforts of adding classroom management materials, is helping my long-term goal of classroom management. Again, I feel like I used my time very well this week and there isn’t anything I would change. I had indecision about letting the students walk around the room to get themselves in groups for a math lesson. However, I decided to try it, and it worked really well and they enjoyed the activity. The first logical steps for next week is to start lesson planning, and working on my portfolio.

I analyzed my students data from phonics, daily 5, and math all this week, which helped me plan my instruction for next week. I know my higher groups are doing well with letter recognition and sounds, and my lower groups need more practice. I also know that most of my students know how to write their numbers 1-7, the main issue is writing them backwards, so I will focus on having them write their numbers correctly.  The advice  would share with my other student teachers is to make sure you are working on your portfolio as you go!

NCPTS:

This week I increased in standard 1a, by using a variety of data from the information we got during our data dives to plan our groups. I increased in standard 2d because I met with the speech teacher at our school and learned some new ways to help my student who has a speech impediment. I increased in standard 3a by integrating science into my literacy in two different lessons this week. I increased in standard 4e by including critical thinking. Students got to pick two colors of paint they wanted to mix. They then had to predict what color they would turn, and recorded the actual color it turned to. I increased in standard 5c my modifying my lessons each day based on what the students struggled with.

I worked on my parent log, PDP, and videoed this week as part of my portfolio. My CE and I are all set right now.

Half Way There!!!

I would rate this week a 5. We had a great week in the class. We had excellent behavior, and did not need to write in any planners this week, which is the first week for this to happen! The pleasant surprise this week was I taught students punctuation on Tuesday (period, exclamation mark, and question mark) and the next day when I was reading to students and when they were reading in centers, they pointed them out to me. I also had a parent/teacher conference Wednesday and the mom said her daughter came home and said “can I have a snack QUESTION MARK” Then said “when I am yelling at you, I’m going to use an exclamation mark” This made me laugh, and also happy that students learned the meaning of these different punctuations. Reflections of this weeks lesson showed me that my higher groups have almost mastered the letters they have been taught in phonics so far this year, some just need a quick review and more practice with the letter G. It showed me that my lower groups still need lots of practice with their letters because if they do not know letters and letter sounds then they will not be able to read. My short-term goals of whole class and individual positive proximity praise, is aligned with my long-term goal of classroom management. I have noticed especially this week how well this works. When you give one student a compliment, they will all do what that student is doing because they want a compliment as well. This week I was able to use my time really well and have a really productive week because there is finally no edTPA to worry about. The work day on Thursday also really helped a lot! Apprehension about passing out materials in whole group math lessons stopped me from doing so in the first whole group lesson I taught. However, the next day I passed out whiteboards so they could practice writing their numbers and it was very successful. On Monday, I will be passing out cubes for students to complete the lesson, so we will see how that goes. The first logical steps for next week is to continue videoing lessons and working on my portfolio.

I analyzed my students’ phonics, math, letter writing, sounds, and recognition this week. It helped me realize that my lower groups still need a lot of practice with their letters and my higher students are more proficient, so they will only need to review the letters before lessons. I also was made known that most of my students can write their numbers 1-5 but ¾ of the class wrote one or more letter backwards, so I will continue to show them the correct way to write their numbers. One piece of advice I would share with the other student teachers is to really enjoy the time we have left since we are halfway there.

NCPTS

This week I increased my rating in standard 1b by creating my professional development log. I increased my rating in standard 2b by including differentiation in each one of my lessons to meet each student where they are. I increased my rating in 3d by connecting all of my lessons to NCPTS, including global awareness, and making the instruction I teach relevant to students. Next week I will include literacy in global awareness by creating a thinking map so students can see a visual to increase my rating even more. Students now use the computers on a daily basis for literacy centers and math centers, which increases my rating in 4d for integrating and using technology in instruction. For standard 5a, I reflected on each one of my lessons and my students’ work each day, and adjusted my lesson plans for the next day accordingly.

I started to complete my parent log, PD log, and PDP this week for my portfolio. My CE and myself are both all set right now!

EdTPA is complete!!!

Hallelujah edTPA is done!!! This has been a very stressful week to say the least. In the class however, I would say it was a 5. There were so many awesome things that happened in the classroom this week that made up for the stress of edTPA and lesson plans. The pleasant surprise and accomplishment I achieved this week was when one of my higher students helped a lower level student with her letter writing. When the higher-level student was done with her letter-writing sheet, she was wondering around the room, as my lower level was nagging me to write the letters for her because “she can’t do it.” I then decided to ask the higher student to teach the lower student how her write the letter j. It was the most precious thing ever, and the lower level student was able to write them that day and the next morning for morning work. My lessons did not go as planned this week because my lower level students struggled with rhyming so we focused on that all week. My higher-level students struggled with last sounds so we spent more time on both of those than planned. Next week before each lesson with these students, I will review these concepts. My short-term goals of getting a bell for my classroom to ring when students are too loud, and making a whole group reward, align with my long term goal of classroom management. I could have spent more time writing lesson plans, but it wasn’t really an option because of edTPA. Apprehension of letting the students use the dry erase markers on the table (dry erase proof) during centers stopped me from letting them use the in the beginning of the week. Thursday I let them use the markers for math and it worked great.  The first logical steps for next week is to get my PD document started and complete the stuff I need to from the feedback on my first observation. I can finally clear the mental clutter of edTPA being off my shoulders.

I analyzed my students letting writing skills each day, which made me add students to the group who could complete the higher-level worksheet. One piece of advice I would share is to try and relax and finish the second half of student teaching strong as we go into week 5.

NCPTS

This week I increased my rating for standard 1a; teachers lead in their classrooms, I demonstrated leadership by drawing on appropriate data to develop classroom and instructional plans. I evaluated my students and what they needed and changed my plans throughout the week accordingly. I noticed that math centers were not working because we were not able to get to all of them in a day, so I made some adjustments with math in my schedule. I increased my rating for standard 2c; teachers treat students as individuals by noticing each of my students individual needs. I recognized that my higher level student needed something to do because she had completed her paper, and my lower-level student needed someone besides myself to keep helping her, so I paired them together so my higher student could help her as I watched. I increased my rating in standard of 3c by interconnecting my standards. I included science standards in my lesson by teaching my students about different animals this week. I increased my rating in 4d, by integrating and utilizing in instruction. This week I introduced the computers in both math and ELA centers so students can use the computers to help them learn. I increased my rating in standard 5a by analyzing all of my students learning each day and writing whether each standard was met or not each day.

This week I continued to take videos, communicate with parents, and attended hours of professional development at my school where I learned more about ELS students and the DSS process in the school. Both my CE and myself are all set for now.

Week Three Complete!!

Week 3 is complete! I would say this week was a 4.5 out of 5.  My students had one bad day this week where they were out of control, spitting on each other, hitting, head butting, you name it, it happened. Thankfully after that day, we talked to parents and the behavior turned around for the rest of the week. I was pleasantly surprised that all of our students parents are on board with our behavior plan. When students get in trouble in school, they also get in trouble at home, which helps with behavior in our classroom. This week after reflecting, I know that I need to go back and work on first sounds and rhyming with 2 out of my 5 groups, because they were not able to grasp the concepts. My short-term efforts of using positive proximity praise, team-work building centers with rewards on the line, and helping my behavior student, all lead to my long-term goal of classroom management. I could have spent more time on edTPA this week, but unfortunately there is too much to do and no time to do it. When the students had a bad day, I had indecision about what I should do concerning recess. I thought about taking it away because my CE said I could, but instead I had them sit in “time out” for 5 minutes on the carpet and told them if anyone talked they would not get to go outside. They did not say a word because they love recess. They do need to learn their lesson, but at the same time they are still babies and just like to roughhouse too much for school. I think the punishment I gave them taught them a lesson that I wasn’t playing around, but taking away recess could be the next thing if behavior gets bad again. The first logical steps for next week, is to complete edTPA.

I analyzed my students’ phonics data to plan for next week. I have 7 students that are able to complete the more advanced worksheet, and the rest of the class still needs some more practice with letter tracing and writing before they practice slides and words.  The advice I will give students is to hang in there, once we hand in edTPA it will be one weight off of our shoulders!

NCPTS

This week to increase my rating in standard 1a, I used a lot of positive proximity praise. I had 4 students complete their star charts this week and go to the treasure box. I also implemented teamwork centers for students to build number and letter-sound puzzles. If they completed it by the end of the center as a team, they got to go to the treasure box, which gave them more incentive to complete their work. For standard 2a, I continued to get to know my students more this week. I danced with them during morning work and brain break so they know I like to have fun when it’s time, but also can be serious when it’s time. For standard 3d, I started “Wonder Wednesday” which is my global awareness project that I will be doing once a week. I showed students where El Salvador is on the map and where it is in relation to the U.S. I also showed them pictures of the four children we sponsor in El Salvador. I taught them how to say Hola and adios and had them draw a picture for the kids and write “hola my name is _______.” To increase standard 4b, I looked over my students phonics papers to see which students can handle the more advanced sheet for phonics next week. For 5a, I have analyzed students TRC and DIBLES scores. However we can not make official groups until after our data dive which is next Friday.

I have been videoing, taking pictures, and communicating with the parents in my classroom this week to work on my portfolio. My CE and myself are both all set for now!

Another weeks in the books!

 I would rate this week a 4. Monday I was out sick, so I only had a three-day week this week. I was pleasantly surprised that most all of our parents are on board with class dojo. By this I mean when the students get in trouble in school, they also get in trouble at home. The students who we have issues with regularly, when I remind them about what their punishment at home is, they usually change right around because they don’t want to lose privileges at home. This week we finished testing on Thursday, so next week I will look at where our students fall and rearrange ability groups as needed. My short term efforts of classroom management using rewards and dojo will help me in my long-term goals of having a well-managed classroom. This week was spent on edTPA. I wish I could have spent less time on edTPA and more time on my lesson plans for next week, but that was not possible. During my edTPA lessons, I had apprehension and indecision about whether or not I could use class dojo and stickers to keep the students quiet and focused so I did not. If I did, I believe the students would have been more focused in my video, but in the end of the day, they are in their second full week of kindergarten, so they aren’t going to be perfect. The first logical step for next week, is to continue working on edTPA. I hope I can get a good chunk done this weekend so I can clear the mental clutter of having edTPA hanging over my head.

I analyzed my students hand-writing and ability to write their letters. With the students who were successfully able to complete this, I gave them a more challenging worksheet to complete during phonics. A piece of advice I would give to my classmates is to get your edTPA done so we can stop stressing about it.

NCPTS

This week for NCPTS 1a; teachers lead in their classrooms, I would be proficient. I have already used students’ work and formative assessment to create ability based groups. This week we finished TRC testing so Monday I will be able to re-evaluate the groups. However, I am going to use my discernment because there are some students who panicked during testing or were being goofy so their scores did not reflect there actual ability. My CE and I will collaborate to decide on the groups. For standard 2a; Teachers provide an environment in which each child has a positive, nurturing relationship with caring adults I would say I am proficient as well. My students know they are loved and in a safe environment. I dance with my students each morning to keep them engaged and so they know I want to have fun with them. However, they are starting to figure out when it’s okay to be silly and when its time to be serious. As each week goes on, my relationship with the students continues to grow. For standard 3c; Teachers recognize the interconnectedness of content areas/disciplines I would be developing. I have displayed global awareness so far this semester, but this week I have come up with a whole plan for presenting global awareness since it is one of my PDP goals. For standard 4c; Teachers use a variety of instructional methods I would be proficient. I have been using a variety of methods and materials to meet the needs of all students. For all my edTPA lessons I used auditory, visual, and kinesthetic methods for my students. For standard 5a; Teachers analyze student learning I would be developing and on my way to proficient. I am going to analyze the TRC data and be brainstorming different ideas to help each of my students.

I have completed the edTPA videos for my portfolio, I have created my PDP’s and have started communicating with parents about their child’s progress and accomplishments both through class dojo messenger and at the open house we had on Tuesday. My CE and myself are both all set right now!