Week 3 & 4

Read-alouds

• On the sixth day of  class Selina read Kitten's First Full Moon by Kevin Henkes. The story was about Kitten thinking that the moon was a bowl of milk, which she was trying to get. This was a very cute story with really good black, white and gray illustrations. You could use this in an art class when you are studying color schemes. This could also be used as an introduction to an activity about giving directions, just like the ones that described Kitten's actions.
• On the seventh day of class Taylor read I Knew You Could by Craig Dorfman. This was a story about a train traveling through several different obstacles along his way. One of them was learning to accept his abilities as a train. You could use this in a journal activity where the class responds to a time they were scared or unsure and how they over came it.
• On the eighth day of class Amanda read Mr. Tall and Mr. Small by Barbara Brenner. In the first part of the story Mr. Tall and Mr. Small were bragging about their abilities to the other, but when a forest fire came they had to rely on the other to get out safely. Through out the story there were a lot of comparisons between tall and small so this could be used in a lesson about opposites or comparing and contrasting.
• On the ninth day of class Kyle read Big Black Bear by Wong Herbert Hee. This is was really good read-aloud because Kyle was really well practiced and had different voices for each character. The Big Black Bear in the story did want he wanted to without considering others feelings. This book could be used in a lesson to help teach manners to the students.
• On the tenth day of class Hannah  read The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn. This story was about a raccoon afraid to go to school because he would miss his mother while he was there. His mother kissed his hand and said when you miss me just look at your kissing hand and my love will be with you. This would be a really good book to give as a gift to someone when you leave for college because it is a way to tell someone that you love them and will miss them when your gone. This would be a good introduction to a lesson about overcoming your fears or about nocturnal animals.

Learning Experiences

• These two past weeks in class we have been learning about self-esteem and self-worth. In class we did skit about self-esteem, which was a fun way to let our creative side out. My group did a skit to the book I'm Gonna Like Me by Jamie Lee Curtis. We decided to pick different characters from the book that some what resembled ourselves. It was fun to act out and to watch the other groups work on theirs.

Current Event

• http://www.edweek.org/tm/articles/2012/09/11/fp_mixon_football.html?tkn=LOCFwUVMFoRbEED5q%2BdzPYb0%2BO91UiWAJFvm&cmp=clp-sb-teacher
• This article talks about how teachers can help tailor their lessons to help their students, just like football coaches do. Teachers should plan their lesson to have some built in feedback to gage the success of the lesson. They should also be able to increase the activity level to challenge them or to slow it down so more people can grasp the concept. I wish some of my teachers did this because some times you take too long with one thing or you go way too fast for the students to understand. I think school can always be related to sports to help your students understand.

Quote of the Week

• "Tell me and I'll forget. Show me, and I may not remember. Involve me, and I'll understand."
-Native American Saying
• I think this quote needs to be shared with teachers everywhere because just telling a student something doesn't mean they grasped the concept. Same with showing them, I personally learn better when I am engaged and involved in a lesson than when I am just sitting in a desk and listening.

Observations

• In these past two weeks I noticed that a girl was dressing differently than others at school. And then the next couple days I continued to notice her more and more. She wasn't afraid to be her self and wasn't going to change to fit in. This made me smile because she was going to stay true to her self -concept, which we talked about in class.

Reflections

• I just love Teacher Cadet class because it is so engaging and fun. I really like doing the in class skits alot and I loved having Fabulous Food Friday. Also the pot notes are as great as everyone said they were. I'm really looking forward to our field trip this coming Friday.

Week 1 & 2

Read-alouds

• On the first day of class Mrs. Jackson read to us Through the Cracks by Carolyn Solloman. It was about a girl who had "fallen through the cracks" in her school, which was a metaphor about how she really did not fit in with the teaching style. While she was "in the cracks" she met a friend whom helped her find fun and engaging classes. I think this was a good book to read on the first day of school because we were working direction connection and it made myself more aware to look for kids who had "fallen through the cracks". It would be a good book to use as a segway in to an activity about different types of learning.
• On the second day of class Mrs. Jackson read Mrs. Spitzer's Garden by Edith Pattou to the class. Mrs. Spitzer's Garden is story of a teacher who knows how to make gardens grow and flourish every year. Mrs. Spitzer is also able to help her students grow and flourish by giving them love and care. This would be a great book to read on the first day of school to the students like Mrs. Jackson did.
• On the third day of class Mrs. Jackson read My Losing Season by Pat Conroy. This real-aloud was different than the first one she read, it was an excerpt from Pat Conroy's book as opposed to a picture book. The excerpt was of Mr. Conroy talking about a teacher who inspired him. The teacher caused him to work hard all year long, and finally he realized that all his hard work had paid off. Mr. Conroy thinks that that teacher was one of the best teachers he had because he caused Mr. Conroy to push himself in his academics. I share a similar experience to Mr. Conroy with my English teacher from last year, so I too can appreciate a hard teacher. You could use this book in a class at the beginning of the year to foreshadow what a class's year ahead might be like. Or you could use as a motivational speech to show how hard work will pay off for a class or sports team.
•  On the fourth day of class Melanie read the story Teacher's Pet by D. Jakobs. When she first told us the title I was honestly thinking it was going to be a story about a student who tries to flatter the teacher. But instead it was a story about actually pets and the different activities they were able to do at school. It was be a good book to lead into an activity about pets and what they can do.
• On the fifth day of class Cortni read These Hands by Hope Lynn Price. It was a story showing how our hands are used in daily activities. I really liked this because it made me realize that our hands can do so many things. You could use this as an opening into an anatomy lesson or you could use it as an example for a writing activity about what your hands can do.

Learning Experiences

• These first two weeks of class were great! I was actually glad to come to school and especially Teacher Cadet class. This week we got to learn alot about the qualities that make up good teachers. I think we were able to determine what makes a good teacher by having some great teachers and some not so great. We also learned alot about our classmates, we are starting to become a family. We did a paper bag activity where you put words, pictures, and objects that help describe you as a complete person. Ir was a great opportunity to get a glimpse of some one's and what they want in life.

Current Event

•  http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/campaign-k-12/2012/08/romney_2.html
• In this article it talks about presidental canidate Mitt Romeny's effort to allow students to pick which schools they go to. He compared it to buying milk in the store where you have 1%, 2% skim, whole, and chocolate. He believes that it will help increase the academic performance, which it has is Massachuesetts. I think this is personally a good idea because it allows students to pick a school that has programs that interest them, will may help increase academic performance.

Qoute of the Week

"Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world." -Nelson Mandela

• I love this quote! It is so simple yet so powerful. It is so true that education and what you do with it can change the world. Education often leads to inspiration to change something big or small. Facebook was invented while Mark Zuckerburg was in college working on this education.

Observations

• In one of my classess this week I saw a kid about to fall through the cracks, but then the teacher went over and helped them one on one. I feel like this has probably happened more than once in some of my classes but this was just not the first time I was realizing it. It made my day when the teacher made sure he didn't fall through. I am glad we have teachers like that at Dutch Fork.

Reflections

• These two past weeks have been great! I loved all the activities we did in class to get to know our classmates. I really got to know people alot better and make new friends. I really liked working direction connection as well because I felt like I was actually helping some one on their first days of school. I think this year is going to be so much fun!