Friday, April 23, 2021

April 23, 2021

 Week of Reflection: April 23, 2021

  

  • Rate and explain your overall experience of the week: 1 - Very difficult to 5 - Great week

            I would rate this week as a 3.5. It wasn't a bad week, but it wasn't excellent either. My CE began taking back the parts of our day before lunch and I went and did observations in other grade levels. In the afternoon, I taught. It was definitely bittersweet to swtch from being the full-time teacher. On the one hand I am glad to have a little less responsibility so that I can focus on my portfolio, but on the other I miss getting to teach.
  • Response to these questions to end your week:

    • Observe: What pleasant surprises / accomplishments did I achieve this week? I completely finished student teaching. Next week my CE will be back fully in charge of the classroom. There were times when I never thought this day would come, but it all happened so fast in actuality.

    • Reflect: What lessons did my work/experiences teach me that I will build upon next week? I have spent this week observing other grades which has been a fun experience. I have subbed or assisted in these other grades before, but now I look at them completely differently. I found that I could see myself teaching any of them which was a new realization for me.

    • Focus:  How are my short-term efforts and my long-term goals still aligned? Short-term efforts are to complete my portfolio and graduate, this is aligned with my long-term goal of getting liscensed and getting my own classroom.

    • Be Productive: What could I have spent more or less time doing? I could have spent more time working on my portfolio.

    • Have Courage:  How did apprehension and indecision impact what I did and didn’t do? I can't think of any areas affected by either of these this week.

    • Begin Anew: What is the first logical step(s) for next week? What mental clutter can I clear? Finish my portfolio and upload everything to TaskStream.

Adapted from: Cernoff, M. (2013, August 7). 7 Questions to End Your Week With. . Retrieved July 21, 2014, from http://www.marcandangel.com/2013/08/08/7-questions-to-end-your-week-with/

  • What were some data you analyzed this week and how did it help inform your instructional decisions? My CE and I looked at the most recent iStation data for our Tier 3 students. Although I am no longer planning the instruction, she still included me in this process.

  • What is one piece of advice you can share with other student teachers? Enjoy these last few moments with your CE and students. These are the good days.
  • NC Teacher Candidate Standards (Be sure to reference activities from your lesson plans to solidify your answer.)

    • Pick an element from standard one of the evaluation tool and explain some activities/strategies you implemented this week to increase your rating for the element. 1e. Teachers demonstrate high ethical standards. So this one didn't actually happen at school, but it is school related. I was purchasing some things for my classroom and I had a lot of items. The cashier accidentally hit a button, but she wasn't sure what it was. When she finished and told me my total I realized that it was way too low and I told her this. She was able to find that she had accidentally subtracted $30 from my total. She was shocked and thanked me for being honest instead of taking the discount.

    • Pick an element from standard two of the evaluation tool and explain some activities/strategies you implemented this week to increase your rating for the element. 2e. Teachers work collaboratively with the families and significant adults in the lives of their students. One of my students experienced the loss of a grandparent this week. I called her parents and expressed my sympathy and I made sure to give that student some extra love this week.

    • Pick an element from standard three of the evaluation tool and explain some activities/strategies you implemented this week to increase your rating for the element. 3c. Teachers recognize the interconnectedness of content areas/disciplines. As I have been observing in other grades this week, I have had the opportunity to see how the things that I have been teaching in Kindergarten are built upon and grown into the things that are taught in later grades.

    • Pick an element from standard four of the evaluation tool and explain some activities/strategies you implemented this week to increase your rating for the element. 4e. Teachers help students develop critical-thinking and problem-solving skills. I tried to implement a lot of critical thinking and problem solving into my guided reading this week. We were still discussing insects, and I was asking my students to decide whether something was or was not an insect based on the things we had learned about them last week.

    • Pick an element from standard five of the evaluation tool and explain some activities/strategies you implemented this week to increase your rating for the element. 5b. Teachers link professional growth to their professional goals. I had the opportunity to participate in a professional development seminar for Brain Pop this week. I immediately took the things we learned and implemented them into my teaching the next day.

  • Other:

    • What components of your edTPA and portfolio have you started to complete? edTPA: Passed!! Portfolio: everything started, finalizing this weekend.

    • What support does your Clinical Educator need from your University Supervisor? What support do you need from your University Supervisor? None at this time.


Friday, April 16, 2021

 Week of Reflection: April 16, 2021

  

  • Rate and explain your overall experience of the week: 1 - Very difficult to 5 - Great week 5!!! This was my last week as the full-time teacher in my classroom and I loved and soaked up every second of it. We were learning about insects this week, so I turned our classroom into a garden. Every day a different insect was attracted to the garden and we learned about them. We had butterflies, bees, ladybugs, and ants. My students were so excited to look for the new insect every day, and they were able to learn a lot about each one. It is hard to believe that it is over, 10 weeks flew by!

  • Response to these questions to end your week:

    • Observe: What pleasant surprises/accomplishments did I achieve this week? My biggest accomplishment this week was my themed classroom and science lesson. I made all of the flowers myself out of tissue paper, and I planned how to introduce each new insect each day.

    • Reflect: What lessons did my work/experiences teach me that I will build upon next week? Next week my CE begins to take parts of the day back. She will be teaching everything before lunch (math and phonics) and I will be teaching everything after (daily 5 and science/social studies). I will be continuing to teach some of the things we learned in science as well as some social studies lessons next week.

    • Focus:  How are my short-term efforts and my long-term goals still aligned? The short term is to complete my portfolio and finish strong, the long term is to graduate and be the best teacher I can be. Making sure I do my best now will help me continue to do my best in the future.

    • Be Productive: What could I have spent more or less time doing? I could have spent more time working on my portfolio this week, but implementing the different insects each day this week took a lot of time.

    • Have Courage:  How did apprehension and indecision impact what I did and didn’t do? I can't think of any way that apprehension and indecision impacted my week.

    • Begin Anew: What is the first logical step(s) for next week? What mental clutter can I clear? I am going to complete as many areas as I can in my portfolio this weekend and upload some things to Taskstream.

Adapted from: Cernoff, M. (2013, August 7). 7 Questions to End Your Week With. . Retrieved July 21, 2014, from http://www.marcandangel.com/2013/08/08/7-questions-to-end-your-week-with/

  • What were some data you analyzed this week and how did it help inform your instructional decisions? Our students did another iStation progress monitoring assessment this week. My CE and I looked at their data to plan our WIN groups as well as to adjust our guided reading/writing groups.

  • What is one piece of advice you can share with other student teachers? Soak up every second that you have left in your classrooms. Whether you are still teaching, or only observing, enjoy the time you have left with your students.
  • NC Teacher Candidate Standards (Be sure to reference activities from your lesson plans to solidify your answer.)

    • Pick an element from standard one of the evaluation tools and explain some activities/strategies you implemented this week to increase your rating for the element. 1b. Teachers demonstrate leadership in the school. I demonstrated leadership in my school this week by attending several meetings and contributing to the items being discussed. One was our plans for our Kindergarten Registration day, and another was as we were discussing plans for next year's needs.

    • Pick an element from standard two of the evaluation tool and explain some activities/strategies you implemented this week to increase your rating for the element. 2e. Teachers work collaboratively with the families and significant adults in the lives of their students. This week I spent time communicating with the parents and guardians of my students about the time that I have spent as their teacher and letting them know the things that I enjoyed about their child.

    • Pick an element from standard three of the evaluation tool and explain some activities/strategies you implemented this week to increase your rating for the element. 3c. Teachers recognize the interconnectedness of content areas/disciplines. This week, I did an insect unit and incorporated all different subjects and fine arts activities into the unit. My students enjoyed it, and they were able to learn about insects in many different ways.

    • Pick an element from standard four of the evaluation tool and explain some activities/strategies you implemented this week to increase your rating for the element. 4c. Teachers use a variety of instructional methods. I incorporated many different instructional methods this week. We sang, danced, drew, used technology, watched videos, wrote, and read books about insects.

    • Pick an element from standard five of the evaluation tool and explain some activities/strategies you implemented this week to increase your rating for the element. 5a. Teachers analyze student learning. My CE and I looked at the data from the iStation assessment to adjust our groups and plans for interventions for our Tier 2 and 3 students.

  • Other:

    • What components of your edTPA and portfolio have you started to complete? All of them.

    • What support does your Clinical Educator need from your University Supervisor? What support do you need from your University Supervisor? None at this time.

Friday, April 2, 2021

April 2, 2021

 Week of Reflection: April 2, 2021

  

  • Rate and explain your overall experience of the week: 1 - Very difficult to 5 - Great week

            This week was definitely a 5!! First, it was a 3 day week so that's always exciting. Next, I was able to get my second Covid vaccine, so that was amazing, and I only had mild side effects. Finally, I PASSED EDTPA!!!!!!! We had a great week learning about oviparous animals and celebrating spring with a scavenger hunt and ice cream party. 
  • Response to these questions to end your week:

    • Observe: What pleasant surprises / accomplishments did I achieve this week? Um... passing edTPA.

    • Reflect: What lessons did my work/experiences teach me that I will build upon next week? Next week is Spring Break, so I will be taking the excitement that I feel from passing edTPA and applying it to finishing my portfolio.

    • Focus:  How are my short-term efforts and my long-term goals still aligned? Short-term goals are to finish student teaching strong, long-term goals are to be a strong teacher now and in the future.

    • Be Productive: What could I have spent more or less time doing? I don't feel like I have anything for this one this week. I feel like I used my time wisely.

    • Have Courage:  How did apprehension and indecision impact what I did and didn’t do? I was apprehensive about the edTPA results, but I didn't let it change the way I did anything this week. I still did everything to be the best teacher I could be.

    • Begin Anew: What is the first logical step(s) for next week? What mental clutter can I clear? My first logical step is to rest and enjoy family this weekend, and start my week ready to finish my portfolio.

Adapted from: Cernoff, M. (2013, August 7). 7 Questions to End Your Week With. . Retrieved July 21, 2014, from http://www.marcandangel.com/2013/08/08/7-questions-to-end-your-week-with/

  • What were some data you analyzed this week and how did it help inform your instructional decisions? I didn't analyze any data this week.

  • What is one piece of advice you can share with other student teachers? If your school is on spring break this week, use your time wisely. Rest, Relax, and cross some things off of the portfolio to-do list!!
  • NC Teacher Candidate Standards (Be sure to reference activities from your lesson plans to solidify your answer.)

    • Pick an element from standard one of the evaluation tool and explain some activities/strategies you implemented this week to increase your rating for the element. 1b. Teachers demonstrate leadership in the school. This week I had the opportunity to attend a grade level meeting with my team and offer some ideas as we were discussing k-day for our future kindergarten students.

    • Pick an element from standard two of the evaluation tool and explain some activities/strategies you implemented this week to increase your rating for the element. 2e. Teachers work collaboratively with the families and significant adults in the lives of their students. This week I had the opportunity to communicate with my parents about how their students are doing and the things we are doing in class.

    • Pick an element from standard three of the evaluation tool and explain some activities/strategies you implemented this week to increase your rating for the element. 3c. Teachers recognize the interconnectedness of content areas/disciplines. I taught science lessons about oviparous animals this week and I was able to use literacy and math elements in those lessons.

    • Pick an element from standard four of the evaluation tool and explain some activities/strategies you implemented this week to increase your rating for the element. 4e. Teachers help students develop critical-thinking and problem-solving skills. As we were learning about oviparous animals this week, I encouraged my students to think critically about which animals are oviparous and which aren't, and to apply this as they were thinking about other animals that are oviparous that we didn't learn about specifically.

    • Pick an element from standard five of the evaluation tool and explain some activities/strategies you implemented this week to increase your rating for the element. 5c. Teachers function effectively in a complex, dynamic environment. I feel like this describes every day of school this year. For this week specifically, we had some things change in our schedule every day, and I was able to adapt and make it work no matter what was thrown my way.

  • Other:

    • What components of your edTPA and portfolio have you started to complete? edTPA is PASSED!!!! I am working on all elements of my portfolio.

    • What support does your Clinical Educator need from your University Supervisor? What support do you need from your University Supervisor? None needed at this time.

Friday, March 26, 2021

Week of Reflection: March 26, 2021

 Week of Reflection: March 26, 2021

  

  • Rate and explain your overall experience of the week: 1 - Very difficult to 5 - Great week I would rate this week at a 4. It was pretty good. We got a new student, so getting her acclimated to the class has been a little difficult, but it has still been good. Our students earned a classroom reward so we had a stuffed animal day today. They each got to bring a stuffed animal and carry it through different parts of their day. We used them for number bonds during math, and they got to read to them during our reading center. We also learned about the water cycle this week so I could do some fun experiments with that today.

  • Response to these questions to end your week:

    • Observe: What pleasant surprises/accomplishments did I achieve this week? I don't really have anything specific for this area this week. I enjoyed my week, and I feel good about what I did with my students.

    • Reflect: What lessons did my work/experiences teach me that I will build upon next week? I am going to work on some ways to help my new student feel that she is a part of the class and some ways to help her learn our rules and procedures as much as possible before spring break.

    • Focus:  How are my short-term efforts and my long-term goals still aligned? short-term is to complete my portfolio and long-term is to graduate.

    • Be Productive: What could I have spent more or less time doing? I can't really think of anything. I had a productive week.

    • Have Courage:  How did apprehension and indecision impact what I did and didn’t do? I can't think of anything for this.

    • Begin Anew: What is the first logical step(s) for next week? What mental clutter can I clear? I need to finish planning our Spring Party and decide on the activities we will be doing on Thursday.

Adapted from: Cernoff, M. (2013, August 7). 7 Questions to End Your Week With. . Retrieved July 21, 2014, from http://www.marcandangel.com/2013/08/08/7-questions-to-end-your-week-with/

  • What were some data you analyzed this week and how did it help inform your instructional decisions? My CE and I looked at data for all areas to fill out report cards this week. I am doing a lot of reviews next week, but I will use this information to help plan my lessons for the week after spring break.

  • What is one piece of advice you can share with other student teachers? Breath, we are almost there!!
  • NC Teacher Candidate Standards (Be sure to reference activities from your lesson plans to solidify your answer.)

    • Pick an element from standard one of the evaluation tools and explain some activities/strategies you implemented this week to increase your rating for the element. 1b. Teachers demonstrate leadership in the school. I attended the School Improvement Team meeting this week and was able to help make some decisions for the future of our school.

    • Pick an element from standard two of the evaluation tool and explain some activities/strategies you implemented this week to increase your rating for the element. 2a. Teachers provide an environment in which each child has a positive, nurturing relationship with caring adults. We had a new student join our class this week so I worked really hard to help her know how glad we were to have her with us and to start building a relationship with her.

    • Pick an element from standard three of the evaluation tool and explain some activities/strategies you implemented this week to increase your rating for the element. 3c. Teachers recognize the interconnectedness of content areas/disciplines. We were learning about the weather this week and I built-in math and literacy content to make these lessons interdisciplinary.

    • Pick an element from standard four of the evaluation tool and explain some activities/strategies you implemented this week to increase your rating for the element. 4a. Teachers know how learning takes place, and they know the appropriate levels of intellectual, physical, social, and emotional development of their students. I worked to make sure all of my lessons met my students where they are and ensure that they could still have fun and be engaged with the content.

    • Pick an element from standard five of the evaluation tool and explain some activities/strategies you implemented this week to increase your rating for the element. 5a. Teachers analyze student learning. I looked at the different areas for all of my students as I finalized report cards this week.

  • Other:

    • What components of your edTPA and portfolio have you started to complete? I have started on all of them. Finished very few.

    • What support does your Clinical Educator need from your University Supervisor? What support do you need from your University Supervisor? None at this time.

April 23, 2021

  Week of Reflection: April 23, 2021    Rate and explain your overall experience of the week: 1 - Very difficult to 5 - Great week          ...