I decided to categorize these books by genre (it does not cover every genre, but most are covered). When evaluating how to organize my book wish list, I started thinking about how I would organize the books in my future classroom. Book stores categorize their books by genre. Obviously book store are successful in exciting the customer to read, and I would like to get my future students excited about reading as well. In order to do this, I plan to mimic book stores (to an extent). By organizing my book wish list in a manner that is similar to how I would like to organize my classroom library, I am able to better use this list in the future and create enthusiastic readers!
Provided above is a link to my Pinterest page. There are multiple boards on this page that contain my "classroom book wish list". Within each board are multiple books that I would like to have in my future classroom. Each pin contains a short description of the book and how it could be used in the classroom.
I decided to categorize these books by genre (it does not cover every genre, but most are covered). When evaluating how to organize my book wish list, I started thinking about how I would organize the books in my future classroom. Book stores categorize their books by genre. Obviously book store are successful in exciting the customer to read, and I would like to get my future students excited about reading as well. In order to do this, I plan to mimic book stores (to an extent). By organizing my book wish list in a manner that is similar to how I would like to organize my classroom library, I am able to better use this list in the future and create enthusiastic readers!
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Throughout my time inside of the classroom I have observed multiple examples of things that I am learning in all of my classes. It is actually quite easy to relate what I am learning in my Ed Psych textbook to the classroom that I am interning in. Module Eighteen, Creating a Productive Learning Environment, discusses multiple concepts that relate to my internship classroom.
According to the textbook, seating patterns influence behavior and learning. “Once behavioral norms have been established, students can be arranged into clusters, circles, or other arrangements that facilitate different types of learning experiences” (Bohlin, 2012, p.327). About two weeks ago, my CTs decided that it was time to rearrange the seating patterns. The seating pattern that was selected was the “clusters” seating arrangement. The students were put into clusters with students at similar academic achievement ability. Within the same chapter, procedures and routines are also discussed in depth. There is a slight difference between the two – “a routine is a predictable schedule or course of action” while a “procedure describes how to accomplish activities on the classroom” (Bohlin, 2012, p.337). In my internship classroom the morning procedures are clearly posted. The morning procedures are: sharpen two pencils, get water, mark attendance, use the rest room, and read. These procedures are categorized into the class-running procedures, which are nonacademic (Bohlin, 2012, p.337). It was very interesting to learn the difference between procedures and routines, and observe these in my internship classroom. Creating and maintaining a strong home-school connection, after observing multiple parent-teacher conferences it has become evident that this statement is true. “Parent involvement in children’s education is associated with better attendance, more positive student attitudes and behavior, a greater willingness to complete homework, and higher levels of achievement” (Bohlin, 2012, p.341). Although I have not observed this to be true in all of my students, it is defiantly evident in a large portion. Each time that I step into the classroom, I am able to better understand what I am learning in my own courses, and how to use that information to better my students. Reflective Questions
References Bohlin, L., Durwin, C., & Reese-Weber, M. (2012). EdPsych: Modules (2nd ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Higher Education. Literary Analysis: Annotated Bibliography Bridges, R. (1999). Through my eyes. New York: Scholastic Press. Through My Eyes is an autobiography written by Ruby Bridges. Not only is this story about a person from a different race or ethnicity, but it is also a story about an important historical event. Ruby Bridges was one of the first African Americans to walk past angry parents and citizens and into a public school. This happened during the desegregation process in the United States. This autobiography is told through the eyes of Ruby Bridges as she went through these events. Meltzer, B., & Eliopoulos, C. (n.d.). I am Amelia Earhart. I Am Amelia Earhart is a picture book intended for emergent readers. The biography follows the great female pilot, Amelia Earhart, from her childhood all the way through her record-breaking career as a pilot. This story provides the reader with the opportunity to better understand this historical figure, and have fun while doing so. Pascal, J., & Brien, J. (2008). Who was Abraham Lincoln? New York: Grosset & Dunlap. Who was Abraham Lincoln is a story about the life of the sixteenth President of the United States. The story starts with Abraham Lincoln guiding the nation through the Civil War and the abolition of slavery. The text is slightly more complex so it is ideal for higher elementary grade classrooms. The book contains multiple illustrations and maps that are relevant to this historical context of Abraham Lincoln’s biography. Stanley, D. (2009). Mozart, the wonder child: A puppet play in three acts. New York: Collins. Mozart: The Wonder Child: A Puppet Play in Three Acts is a biography about a musical prodigy, Johannes Chrysostomus Wolfgang Gottlieb Mozart (although most people know him as Mozart). The book portrays Mozart’s life in the form of a marionette show, starting with when he was just three years old and his life was altered forever. This text is intended for higher-level elementary graders (third or higher) because the writing is slightly more complex, although, the text can be read aloud to younger students. Winter, J. (2011). The watcher: Jane Goodall's life with the chimps. New York: Schwartz & Wade Books. The Watcher: Jane Goodall's Life with the Chimps is the story of the female scientist, Jane Goodall, and her life from childhood to adulthood. The story follows Jane Goodall through her years in African, where she devoted her life to the study of chimpanzees. This text is intended for emergent to early readers and provides an amazing opportunity to discuss the endangered species, and an important female scientist’s contributions. Reflection Chapter Ten of Charlotte Huck’s Children’s Literature: A Brief Guide was very informative. The chapter starts with discussing what an authentic biography is and that it “follows many of the same rules as serious scholarly words…” (QUOTE, pg.287). It goes in depth criteria for quality biography literature. The most important (in my opinion) is the accuracy and authenticity of the text. The Teaching Feature 10.1 (QUOTE, pg.296-300) was the most useful tool throughout the chapter. Overall, this chapter was very informative and provided a multitude of information that I can use currently and in the future. References Kiefer, B., & Tyson, C. (n.d.). Charlotte Huck's children's literature: A brief guide(Second ed.). After completing my first read aloud (and my first lesson in front of the entire class), I took a moment and reflected/analyzed the lesson. A majority of the lesson was implemented the way that I planned. Prior to “handing out” the roles to the students, I informed them that my CT and I drew straws earlier that morning to see who was selected for the roles. This statement is mostly true, however, there was a little more planning involved. First, my CT and I identified higher-level students that could take the more complex parts. The rest was luck of the draw (which allowed a range of academic ability). I read the story aloud and the students jumped in at the correct parts perfectly. The advanced readers actually assisted some of their peers. This lesson directly relates to my Teaching Children’s Literature coursework, there were multiple articles that we read about giving an effective read aloud and completing the follow up lesson. If I were to teach the lesson to the same group of students again, I would do most things the same. However, the introduction and wrap up to the lesson was not well thought-out and needs improvement so that the students are able to understand the reason for reading the story. The students appeared to have learned what was intended throughout the lesson (identify character traits and make predictions). The students were enthusiastic do to the reader’s theatre and participate in the following discussion. The Diverse Portrayal presentations depicted multiple different groups, including: Latino/Latina, African American, Asian, Christian, and Autism literature. After viewing all of the presentations and reading the annotated bibliographies, the importance of diversity in the classroom has only became more evident. Although some of the literature may not be “appropriate” to use during a lesson (which was discussed in depth with the Christian literature presentation, and is relevant to our LGBT literature) it is important to have the literature available within the classroom. The presentations that represented ethnic groups (Latino/Latina, African American, and Asian) were all very similar in content and format, with slight variations. The literature provided and discussed was very appropriate for the group selected and the presenters seemed to have adequate knowledge on the subject. The presentation on literature pertaining to Autism was very interesting; it was nice to see that the presenter had such a strong passion and connection to the topic. People on the Autism Spectrum are very under-represented in literature and it is important to allow students to understand and relate students (and other people) that are within this spectrum. The presentation on Christian literature was very interesting. Religion in general in under-represented within the classroom. The presenters discussed the fact that “we probably could not use most of these books in the classroom because of the separation between church and state.” Although this is true, and one should probably not teach a lesson using these books, I believe that if every religion is represented then it is appropriate to have religious literature within the classroom. Overall I thought that the literature and diversity groups throughout each presentation was great and provided me with a lot of information. Literary Analysis: Monsters I've Met by Shel Silverstein Published in A Light in the Attic book of poetry Graphic Representation: Explanation of Graphic Representation: The image above represents the multiple "scary monsters" that children are often afraid of. Each of these monsters are depicted happily within the graphic representation. The moral that I perceived from this poem is not to be afraid, not everything is as it seems. The heart represents acceptance. Reflection:
This unit was on poetry, the reading assigned was Charlotte Huck's Children's Literature: A Brief Guide chapter six. The chapter starts with discussing where poetry begins for students, with nursery rhymes and songs. I was happy to see that they discussed the "origin" that children first perceived poetry from. The chapter continues by going in depth on multiple different types and elements of poetry. Again, the evaluation section caught my attention because it provides educators with a criteria when selecting literature (poetry). The chapter provided some insightful information! References Kiefer, B., & Tyson, C. (n.d.). Charlotte Huck's children's literature: A brief guide(Second ed.). The day started like any other school day (which is not always constant). My CTs started the day by filling out a questionnaire that will lead to autism screening for a specific students that they believe is ESE (exceptional student education). I found this very interesting, teacher not only act as an educator but are responsible for all different aspects of a students life.
During Teacher P.E. the students were not allowed outside because they have been acting out and being very disrespectful (in the classroom and cafeteria). During Teacher P.E. the students watched videos on manners and honesty as part of a “health lesson”. This is another example of the impact that teachers have on students academically and socially. I found these two observations to be very interesting, and relevant. Another thing that I find extremely interesting and relevant, are the psychological theories/concepts and how they relate so explicitly to my experience within the classroom. The transfer of knowledge is extremely important in the field of education because the ultimate goal is for students to apply that knowledge in other course (or grades) and other context. There are multiple different forms of transfer, all extremely important. The Ed Psych: Modules text, chapter thirteen discusses the transfer of skills and knowledge. There are multiple applications discussed of how to facilitate transfer within the classroom, including develop automaticity skills, promote meaningful learning, teach metacognitive strategies, and motivate students to value learning (Bohlin, 2012, pg. 230). I found this section especially interesting because it allows me to better understand how my students transfer (or fail to transfer) knowledge and skills. “Critical thinking is the process of evaluating the accuracy and worth of information and lines of reasoning” (Bohlin, 2012, pg. 241). The critical thinking process is extremely important for students to comprehend the context being taught or discussed. In order to promote critical thinking in my internship classroom, it is necessary to promote questioning and arguing. Having the knowledge of what critical thinking is, and how to promote it will help all of my students develop academically. I have actually observed some of the students practice critical thinking skills during class discussion without realizing it. Along with critical thinking, problem solving is an important concept that must be promoted and allowed to flourish within the classroom setting. “Problem solving is the means we use to reach a goal in spite of an obstacle or obstacles” (Bohlin, 2012, pg. 247). Students (in general and in my internship classroom) use the problem solving skills quite frequently. Through teaching problem solving strategies, students can better understand the process, therefore making them more successful. I plan to use all of the concepts discussed above in my current internship classroom and in my future classroom. Reflective Questions 1. How can I better promote critical thinking within my internship classroom? 2. What would be a good activity to promote problem solving strategies? References Bohlin, L., Durwin, C., & Reese-Weber, M. (2012). EdPsych: Modules (2nd ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Higher Education. |
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