Unicef

View more presentations from chelc1113.

Teaching My 1st Lesson

I will be teaching my very first lesson in a 6th grade classroom in less than two weeks. I am nervous, and excited about it. I hope that I am able to balance classroom management and the actual content of the lesson. My class consists of over 30 students, 3 of which are special needs students. I must then come up with various accommodations for these students and make sure that I have the time to work specifically with those students. I am relieved however that my first lesson will be covering a social studies topic, and not mathematics. I am still not confident in my mathematical skills, and dread the day I will be asked to lead a math lesson. I suppose I will feel more comfortable over time.

Lesson + Technology

I am currently working on writing a lesson about globalization for the 6th grade class I am working in. The lesson includes the use of the computer lab, where students will be asked to use an internet search engine to find names of various international charities, and what they do to provide support to countries around the world. The idea is to get the students to think about social issues on a global scale. With the use of technology, students have access to an abundance of information through the internet. The skill of internet searching is something every 6th grader should acquire. Such skills are assumed further on in education.

Greece Slideshow

http://www.imageloop.com/slideshow/8bc660da-38f7-130a-8f65-12313b0301a1/

The slide show I created could be used to introduce the topic of ancient societies and cultures, specifically Greece. I had the opportunity to travel there two years ago for study abroad and tried to implement my experience into the slide show as well.
When teaching something such as social studies, it was helpful to have something such as a story board due to the fact that it can be hard to imagine places you've never seen. Bringing a digital story board into the lesson enhances the student's learning and understanding of people, places and things teachers are unable to physically bring into the classroom.

Chicago...?

I am attending a meeting tonight about the possibility of completing my internship in Chicago. I have lived in Michigan my entire life. I've actually lived in the same home my entire life (except for living away at college). I am looking into this possibility because I feel the need to experience more than just Michigan teaching. Also, I would like the opportunity to work in an urban setting where my students will come from very diverse backgrounds. Growing up in Royal Oak, Michigan I was given opportunities that many children only dream of, however I was deprived of much diversity within the student body of my schools. I feel that working with students from various backgrounds will ultimately make me a better teacher, and possibly a better person in general.

LD Diagnosis

This week in my placement I had the opportunity to work with one student individually on her reading assignment. The students have been reading mystery books for several weeks now. My CT asked me to read aloud with this particular student in a seperate classroom. We took turns reading aloud to each other. I noticed that she consistantly struggled with with reading many of the words. She also "read" words that were not on the page, but had a similar meaning or spelling. After we were finished reading together I spoke with the class intern about what I had noticed. We both agreed that our student may be dislexic, but has yet to be diagnosed as such. At the 6th grade level, I would hope that most students are diagnosed early on, however the more time I spend in the classroom, the more I have come to learn that this is not true.

Smart Board

My first exposure to the Smart Board was in my High School German class. The teacher used it for most, if not all of our lessons. I remember understanding more of the lessons after we began using the Smart Board due to the fact that the visuals helped me learn the vocabulary of the new language (German). Over the years, I've noticed that the Smart Board has become more popular in today's classrooms. The technology has helped many teachers implement different on-line activities into their lessons because they now have a way to interact with the computer while it is projected for the entire class to see. Being a Deaf Education Major, visuals in the classroom are crucial to student learning. Without the help of technology such as the Smart Board, I would have a difficult time making lessons accessible to all of my Deaf and Hard of Hearing students.

Internship Orientation

This week we'll be attending the orientation for our internship next year. I am anxious to learn more about it, due to the fact that we've been kept in the dark about it for quite some time. I have been told by other interns that you receive very little information about your placement until April, or later. I am hoping that the orientation gives me some peace of mind about the internship. I plan on teaching in the Detroit area and know few schools that offer programs for Deaf and Hard of Hearing students. I really have no idea where I will be placed for next year.

Difficult Days

This week in my placement I had a fairly overwhelming day. At first, I worked one-on-one with a student who needed practice reading out loud. The class was working on reading mystery books, and met in small groups to predict and discuss the books they were reading. After reading was over the students broke off into groups for social studies. I worked with several groups, but when I came to one group in particular, I realized that they needed a great deal of help. There are three special-needs students in the class and the teacher places all three in the same group. It was extremely difficult to get all six students to cooperate. By the end of the day I felt very worn out. I hope I learn to deal with behavior issues without feeling spent by the end of the day. As a special education teacher, I know I need to be ready for days just like this one.

Visual Learning

As a Deaf Education Major, I find this weeks technology to be very helpful. Knowing that I will be working with students that rely heavily on visual learning, have the resources to present pictures to them is extremely important. I like the idea of being able to manipulate pictures to point out exactly what I want the students to pay attention to. Also, putting the pictures into a slide show makes it easy for me to present on a topic with "hands-free" technology. If teaching in a Deaf/Hard of Hearing classroom, I may need my hands free to instruct in American Sign Language (ASL).

Image: 'Bikes over here Cars in the Water'
http://www.flickr.com/photos/48889063674@N01/30879229

This picture could be used to introduce the idea of alternative transportation. More and more we see that schools are teaching students about being more sustainable and socially responsible.