Week 9: Jamboard Troubles

 Mary Fayta

3-25-21

    This was another great week with three students in the classroom. My MT was able to help me with my literacy lesson coming up. She wanted to make sure to help me today as spring break will be next week. We also worked a lot on Jamboard. I will be using Jamboard in my next lesson and my MT knew that the students were not familiar with it. So she wanted to make sure my lesson went smoothly so I quickly made a simple Jamboard activity that the students could practice with. We ran into a lot of problems so I'm very glad my MT had me practice with the students beforehand. I am excited to do my Jamboard activity and see how the students interact with it now that we have practiced it so much. 

     This week was very similar to last week. The students who are in the classroom logged onto the meet with their chrome books and watched on their screen as they would at home. This week I was able to walk around the classroom a little more and help the students with little problems they had. I was happy to be able to get more experience with interacting and helping the kids. It is always so fun to help the students in the classroom!

Week 9

 Yasmine Mustafa

3-28-2021

This week was a great week for me. I am feeling like the class is mine as well as my Mts. My MT provides me with many opportunities to be apart of the class. I really enjoy this because it has taught me so much more then just watching her teach. Getting that opportunity to engage with students, work with students, etc. is such a rewarding experience. My Mt has taught me so much throughout these few weeks that I will be sure to incorporate in my future class room. She includes me on everything that has to do with the students everyday and not just the days that I am doing my field experiences. She also keeps in touch with me to ensure that I am doing well and if I need any assistance with my lessons.

On Thursdays, my Mt gives me a math group to work with to help them better understand the lessons. My Mt has breakout rooms for students who need more of a challenge and those who need extra assistance. My job is to create breakout rooms for those who need extra assistance. I take my laptop and go into one of the areas in the school where I can have my own space in doing so. On Thursday, there was a teacher in the same room as me who was listening to me teach my lesson as she was working. Once I completed my lesson she stopped to tell me how she was listening to me teach and how great of a job I did. She gave me a lot of feedback. Hearing that from a staff member who does not even know me truly meant a lot to me. It gave me the confidence I needed. In moments like that you realize how much a comment that may seem so little could mean so much!!

Week 9

 Stefanie Flory 

March 28th, 2021 

Another great week spent with the kiddos! Today was yet another great day in the classroom. I finally feel like I am in control of the class and feel so much more comfortable being with the students in person. My MT has decided that she is going to designate the days that I am with her, by providing time for her to work with the remote students while I monitor the in person students. So far this has been going great! I am able to talk with them and work on their assignments alongside them. This definitely helps me to see their learning styles and their abilities for future lesson planning! 

This upcoming week, the students will be on spring break but when we return the week after I will be teaching my Social Studies lesson! I am very excited about this, I get to talk with the students about how to conduct research and they will get to research a country of their choosing! I am very excited for this and I am very grateful I have this week to plan and make a fun lesson that will be taught in person with the kids!! 👏

Week 9: Social studies lesson Wants and Needs

  By: Jamia Royal 

3/28/2021

    This week I taught my social studies lesson on wants and needs with the book Those Shoes by Maribeth Boelts. Before starting my lesson I asked students to think about something they want and to share with the class, then I asked students to think about something they need and to share with the class. I told students a want is something they would like to have just because and a need is something they need to survive like air, water, food, shelter etc.  At first students had a hard time saying what they needed once I explained something I needed their responses changed. One student said they needed a new jacket for the spring time because their old one was too small. After discussing our wants and needs we went over a google slide that defined wants and needs and we did a sorting and identifying activity. Students labeled pictures with the want or need label and dragged different words to the appropriate side on a wants and needs T chart. 

    After introducing the topic and learning about their prior knowledge I introduced the book Those Shoes, a book about wants and needs. I read the story asking questions along the way because it was a rather long book. The book was about a boy Jeremy who wanted some new shoes, but his grandma told him there was no room for wants, only needs and he what he needed was new winter boots. Everyone in school had those shoes he wanted, black high tops with two white stripes. Jeremy wind up getting those shoes from the thrift store but they were too small but he insisted on still wearing them even though they made his feet sore. He noticed a kid Antonio Parker who shoes had duct tape and holes in them. He contemplated on giving him those shoes and eventually he decided to give them to him. This made him happy and sad at the time because he was able to make someone else happy but he still did not have those shoes, but by the end of the story the children were wearing boots and Jeremy had new winter boots he needed and no one else had!  

    After the story the students completed an activity sheet that went along with the book that I did with them. Students had boom cards in their google classroom for students to practice more about wants and needs. I think this lesson went pretty well and my lessons are improving. 

Week 9 - Literacy lesson

 

By Brenda Johnson

03/25/2021

Today I taught my first literacy lesson. This was the first time I was going to be teaching students in person, so I knew it was going to be a little different. When my MT and I tried to set up for my teaching, something went wrong. Everything shut down! Her computer was not responding, the smartboard would not work, I was so worried. My MT put in a tech. ticket, but we knew that it could take a while, possibly days for those to be attended to. We were able to figure something out just to get my lesson going. I had to email Dr. K to inform her of the situation of things just in case. My MT was super helpful and ready to assist, alongside the kids she makes my day at the school interesting and memorable.

 

Thankfully, my lesson went well. It was nice to have the students in person, I liked handing them materials and watching them participate in class. Students were eager to learn, the enjoyed our topic compare and contrast. We discussed similarities and differences in American and Chinese culture. We talked about food, language, and schooling among other things. Today went by fast, before I knew it, it was time for the kids to leave. I think the kids keep you occupied! I have come to love these kids; they bring me some special type of joy. When students said bye to me today, they were quick to say they were going to miss not seeing me next week. I reassured them that I would be there when they came to school the upper Thursday.  I am glad that it all worked out in the end. I think this was my best teaching yet! 

Week 9: New Classroom

 Sara Kent 

March 25, 2021

Today was a unique day! My MT was out for the day, so I spent the day in her partner teacher’s classroom next door. It was so cool to see how another teacher goes about her day and manages her classroom. It was also nice to be in a classroom with Paulina as well! The students in this MT’s classroom are very different from mine as they seem more timid than my kiddos but they are just as sweet. There was one student that I met that was very behind on the content as he hasn’t been engaged in school for almost a year. He quickly warmed up to me and asked for help on his work which I was happy to assist him with. The one thing that I kept thinking was I don’t know how I would help so many different kids at once when I am eventually in my own classroom. I know it takes patience and practice to be able to take care of the needs of all of the kids so with that in mind I love learning new strategies. 

 

I got to see Paulina teach her last lesson today which was so cool! She had a science lesson, so she had the kids do an experiment on sound and vibration. The kids each got a glass bowl and some wrap on it with sprinkles on top of the wrap. They could only use their vibration in their mouth, the humming sound, to make the sprinkles move. It was so funny to see the kids all humming at the same time to try to make their sprinkles move. It was a great experiment and the kids really loved it. It was neat seeing how one of my fellow classmates teaches and engages with the kids. With that said, I can’t wait to see my kiddos again after their spring break! 

                           

Week 9- Social Studies lesson: Serum Run!

Jarrell Harris 

Today was of course, another exciting day to be in the class with the kiddos. I discovered that a couple of teachers I used to work with are currently working at CSK. I met another student who wasn’t present last week, we both seemed to be happy to introduce ourselves. I am always grateful for opportunities to monitor the classroom, my MT stepped out and I was able to walk around the classroom- assisting and checking on TS. It was very engaging today; it was super fun doing a Go Noodle dance with TS and the MT. It was also cool walking the kiddos to lunch, there’s nice system with having designations for cold lunch students and hot lunch students.

 

More exciting news: I taught a social studies lesson today; the lesson I taught was on the heroic dogs of the Serum Run. First, I have to express that I’ve never heard of the Serum Run, it was extremely interesting generating the lesson because I learned a lot myself. I am proud of myself, I notice a lot of progression, even my MT informed me that I did way better. I look forward to teaching my next lesson so that I can try out another lesson feature -like a jam board. My MT is truly the bomb.com, she gives great advice for every lesson I have created, and I make sure I take head. I am truly getting into the swing of teaching remote and hybrid learners simultaneously. 

 

Week 9: Picture Day!

Emily Pinto

EDEC 4571/81

3.25.21


Today is evidence that the students are really adapting nicely to this new instruction method. The students stay on task pretty well -- at least most of them do! It was very cute to see all the students dressed up extra spiffy for picture day today.

The biggest takeaway I got from today is that I am getting very familiar with the GoGuardian program. My MT had to figure out how to block specific websites from only one student who has issues staying on task, it’s pretty cool I’m still discovering things about the program that really help make online/remote teaching better.

Next week is Spring Break! All the kids are super pumped about it and some of them sound like they have some exciting plans. I also have to keep reminding myself that there’s only 5 weeks left of the semester! How time has flown!

Week 9 - An Overwhelmed Teacher Candidate

March 25, 2021

By: Kate Drish

Talk about a rough day! This FE day was a lot. It started like every other Thursday! My MT greeted me at the front door and discussed a brief overview of the day and what was to be taught. I had my first literacy lesson scheduled for today and I was excited!

Then.... it hit the fan. Like, it REALLY hit the fan. I was told by my MT that there would be a surprise fire drill. I thought, oh that's exciting! Quite frankly, I was glad to get up and move after sitting for so long. Throughout the day and as my lesson got closer, I was getting nervous. Then, right after lunch, I was called into the hallway by the principal. To say I was nervous was an understatement. She had told me that my MT was in close contact with a family member who had just tested positive today for COVID. My mind went racing. The principal then asked me to take over the class. THE ENTIRE CLASS. My MT came rushing into the room and told me how sorry she was but that she knew I could handle it. So here I am, a teacher's candidate, filling in the shoes of a teacher whose been doing this for years now. 

I figured everything would run fairly smooth since I had all the materials and assignments ready to go. I proceeded to teach my literacy lesson only to find out that the students had already read the story and answered the corresponding questions (even though I was told to cover this story today with the scholars). Oh, and remember that surprise fire drill? Yeah, it happened mid-lesson just as I was finally able to figure out how to change my lesson plan so it was not repetitive for the scholars. 

To give myself some props, I managed to get seven scholars out of the building safely and outside on the grass where we were supposed to end up. In my head I just kept thinking, "Well, this is what our professors mean by always being flexible."

Week 9- Final science lesson!

 Paulina Kedzierski

March 25, 2021

Today was my final lesson to teach, science. I decided to teach about sound and vibration. The lesson, Making Sprinkles Vibrate, had an experiment that in-person students had on their desks. Initially, I have thought that a 30-minute lesson should be enough for us to certain things together. For example, I wanted students to set up their experiment, brainstorm their ideas about the experiment, and test their questioning. Quickly, I realized that we do not have enough time to accomplished. Instead, I pre-setup the experiment and created the main questions that students worked on to find a solution. Overall, students in-person were able to use the vibration and sound to move the sprinkles. 

Next, we continue the daily schedule, where I had an opportunity to talk to students and help them with any work that needed to be finished by the end of the day. For math, MT created work to complete in pairs. The pairs practiced for the addition quiz. The student is more confident in asking help from me and approach me when they need help. 

 

Week 8: Literacy lesson Hybrid

By: Jamia Royal 

3/23/2021

This week was the children first week back in the classroom. I was excited to actually see some of the children person and not behind the computer. This was group B and also their first day in the classroom, so they had to adjust to the classroom environment and also make sure they are abiding COVID guidelines.  My MT is still trying to adjust to using the smart board as she mention she just learned on Tuesday. Having the children, the classroom makes me and get a chance to feel some type of normalcy during this time. My lesson focused on the central idea of the story Oscar in the Moth.  I think my lesson went better than my first, but still need some work. I was a lot more comfortable and had a better grasp of the information. I think I started off well by first setting expectations of the lesson, making sure they raise their hand, they are staying on mute and cameras on all times. I started with introducing the book then going over with the central idea is the anchor chart was brief, so I continued with the interactive Google slide where children identified 3 pictures and came up with the main idea. Students did a fair job with coming up with the main idea of the pictures. My initial plan was to go over the power words before starting to read the story, but I forgot, so I decided to review them after the story, it kind of still worked out. I should have used the reading sticks to ask the questions during the reading. Each lesson I jot down my do’s and don’ts of each lesson. I think about what I could do differently to make my next lesson better. Teaching hybrid is a new adjustment, you have to make sure you pay attention to the children online and in the classroom as well. My MT is always such a big help with planning and using her station. 

Week 8 - Back to "Normal"

March 22, 2021

By: Kate Drish

This past Thursday was so much fun! I finally met some of the kiddos in person! I'm so glad they were just as excited to meet me too. Having the students back in class really felt like the world was getting back to normal. Though some things were different, like eating lunch in classroom and everyone having their own desk shields, I'm so lucky to be able to gain the experience that I am during this field experience. The students, both remote and in-person, still met on Google Classroom for our meeting. My MT wanted me to spend most of the day observing to get a feel of how she engages and interacts with all the students. One thing that I really liked is that my MT takes turn calling on students who are at home and online. I feel as though this is a good strategy to make sure all of the students are staying engaged. It also reminds my MT and I to acknowledge not just the students in class.

Towards the end of the day, my MT let me take over more lessons as I covered writing and science. Next Thursday is my first literacy lesson! I'm excited to be over halfway done with my lessons. Each time, I'm getting better and better! My ultimate goal is to get proficient in accommodations and differentiations as this is where my biggest struggle is. 

As I observed, I reflected a lot on being a teacher. It was amazing to see my MT navigate the craziness that is COVID-19. Teachers really are superheroes. I cannot wait to be one myself and have my own classroom of students! (Hopefully) by then, I can have them all face-to-face and be able to give out hugs and high fives again!

Week 8- The Kids are Back!

 Yasmine Mustafa

3-21-21

This Thursday was great! This is the first time I was actually able to interact with the students in person! Although there weren't many it was really great to see them. It is much more different online then in person. I loved being in person so much! The kids were so sweet! I was able to talk to them and able to get to know a little more about them. They were excited to be back. They were saying how they did not like online school at all! I feel that now they are back in class it will be much better for them academically. Lunch was super sad though, the students were seated two to a table. They pretty much were alone and it was super sad because lunch time the students are supposed to sit together and talk and enjoy time with one another. I understand the circumstances, hopefully things will go back to normal ASAP. I guess "normal" is not the term to use because honestly what is considered normal these days!

I had a new experience on Thursday! I was finally able to teach my lesson to the students in person!! It was my first time teaching a lesson to students in person. It went super well in my opinion. They were super engaged and eager to learn. Setting up the classroom for hybrid was a bit challenging though. I had two laptops set up and a webcam. It was super crazy. I was able to do it though with only a couple of technical issues. I taught a literacy lesson about character traits about a book called "The Recess Queen". The students loved it! It was a book a few were familiar with but, they still enjoyed the lesson. Can't wait to teach next week!!

Week 8 Finally, students in class!

 Paulina Kedzierski

March 18, 2021

Thursday was a day like no other days! The class that I observe has six students. It is amazing how different the interaction with students is in-person versus remote. Within minutes, students would ask me to help them with their assignments. Also, they asked questions and wanted to talk about anything but school :) I had to remind them that they have to listen to the teacher. One student, remotely, is timid, but he had so much to talk about in class. 

With all the positive recalls from the first day, unfortunately, one still is on my mind. One student did not participate in remote learning since March 2020. This week was his first time doing any kind of schoolwork. He is so behind that I cannot comprehend how he will catch up with his peers. Like being behind is not enough; he has behavior issues. He does not listen, has rude remarks to anything that the teacher says, and disrupts the whole class. Later, I found out that he has a 504 plan. Quickly, I decided to help him while MT instructed other students. First, with math, students were determining between tens and once while writing number sentences. While the students were working together, we worked together on solving the problems. Instantly, it was clear that he struggles with simple addition such as 1+2. Eventually, we completed the work, but I can tell that he still does not know how to do the work independently. While working with him, I have noticed that he sat quietly, listened to me, and tried to work with me. Overall, he is a good boy, but he lacks routine at home and consistency. At one point, he told me that he works better when a teacher is next to him. Made my day! 

Definitely, once the students go back to normal instructions, lots of students will need extra help and resources to catch up. 

In Person With the Students

Stefanie Flory

 Thursday March 18th, 2021

This week was the first week in person with some of the students. I had so much fun with them! It was great to finally get to see them and talk with them in person vs. a computer screen. For the first half of the morning, we met with all students, in person and remotely to do our morning announcements and sharing. There were a only 5 out of the 15 students who can back in person and the rest were remote. I could not help but feel overwhelmed with how my MT plans to work with the students in person and still be able to give attention to those remotely at home and vis versa. 

One thing that that I enjoyed was being able to work with the in person students while my MT met with the students who were remote. I think this really helped my MT because she did not have to worry about managing all the students at once and I was able to help and assist the students in person. 

Overall it was a great week and I am so excited to continue working with the students! :) 

Welcome back friends! ⏰

March 18, 2021

Amy Mustafa 

On March 18, 2021 I finally got to meet the students I have been joining in class on Google meets. The students were all excited to see me in person as I was to see them.They were all shorter than I thought they were but we're just as adorable as I knew they would be. As soon as the first student came in I was greeted with a, "Good morning, Ms. Mufasa"! From one of my favorite little students who never knew how to pronounce my name. On my first day introducing myself I related my last name to the movie the lion king, I told them that my last name is like Mufasa but instead I spell it differently and pronounce it differently. That one student held onto calling me Ms. Mufasa & I had no problem with it! 😂

    Moving on overall, it was a great day. My MT had told me that her students were struggling with the concept of time. I tried my best to teach them how to tell time and read an analog clock. It wasn't easy teaching both the students in person and online but I believe I managed to grasp the students overall understanding of how to tell time. I would show the current examples of different times and allow the students to tell me what time it was. At the end of my lesson I had the students complete an Exit ticket which had them look at different analog clocks on a worksheet in next to it right at the time that is shown. It truly made me so happy that most of the students showed an understanding of how to accurately tell time.  This lesson was not perfect but I do hope by the end of the semester things will get easier and I will have a full grasp and understanding on how to teach students in-person & virtual. 

Week 8: Meeting the kids in person!

 Mary Fayta

3-18-21

    Today I got to meet three of the students in person! It was exciting to finally see some students in the classroom and not just over a screen. My MT showed the students to their desks and described how they should set up, as this was their first time in the classroom. Today was fairly similar to last week as the students were very quiet and they knew what they needed to do. The in-person students still logged into the meeting and worked on the same thing the remote students worked on. I was hoping that my MT would do something more fun and engaging with the students who are in person but sadly she did not. Maybe in a few weeks once the kids are more settled there will be more opportunities for in-person activities.

     I did get a few opportunities to help the students on their independent work which was really nice. Even just the little things such as walking the kids to gym can be really fun as we haven't been able to do that in so long. I also started planning my next lesson with my MT, as she will be on vacation during spring break so her and I will not be in contact the week before my lesson. My MT was super helpful and she even let me borrow a few of her books! I thought that was really kind of her. To end the day, the kids had some extra time before the bus came so they followed a drawing tutorial and it was really fun to see all of their cute drawings!

Week 8 - Little people in the classroom!

 By Brenda Johnson

3/18/2021

Today was another different and special day. I met some of the students in person! At about 8:45, my MT and I went out in the hallway to welcome our kids. It was a somewhat emotional moment for all of us; just like me, my MT was meeting these set of kids for the first time. The students were so happy to be in person. One of our kids that was supposed to start today did not, we think that the family might be changing their mind about their preferred method. The students began their day with breakfast at 9am and took a bathroom break afterwards.

This experience was like no other so far. I had to work with students and outside the classroom and it was a great learning experience! Since some of our students were new to the school, my MT took us on a tour of the building. We called it group walk. She also seized the opportunity to tell students about the rules to follow when in the building. I believe that today was the most I have been involved with the students.  My MT told me that they tried teaching both in person and remote kids at the same time, but it was not working. So, they decided to teach them at separate times and reduce whole group to only for morning meeting and sharing. While my MT taught the remote students, I supervised and assisted in person kids. I ensured that they were on task and did not have any problems.

I had so much fun today. I assisted my MT in putting up a bulletin board, watched my MT interact with the students, interacted with the students, worked out with the kids during P.E, enjoyed some minutes during lunch with my classmates, got my steps in (11,000 by the time I was leaving CSK). Next week I teach a lesson, I am excited!

Week 8: Welcoming Kids Back!

 Sara Kent 

March 18, 2021

Today was the most fun I've had this semester because we welcomed 8 students back into the classroom. It was so nice to see these faces that I have come to know online in person. The main task today was figuring out how to teach in person and remotely at the same time. My MT had the kids that were remote up on the smart board so they could see us and we could all see them and she also had the doc cam on when she wanted to do work together. For me, I got to walk around a lot more and help out the kids that were in person while my MT was teaching a lesson so any little questions that the in person kids had I would answer. There was also a time where my MT left me in charge of the remote kids while she helped the in person kids. I think It was helpful to have me there so we could each take on a group instead of having her do it all herself.

I was relieved that I have a bit of a break from teaching so that I can get a feel of what my MT does as far as teaching both remote and in person. She is still figuring out but as of right now I feel like she has a pretty good handle on it. The kids are so patient with her as she figures out this new way of teaching which is nice and I try to help out when I can. 

Week 8: Lesson Redo

Emily Pinto   

EDEC 4571/81 

3.18.21

    
So the first week with students actually in the classroom went well! I’m always so amazed at how resilient children can be -- how they can easily adapt to new situations and adjust to new environments with such ease. There were only 4 total students in class today -- a few were absent from the expected 7 -- but it was alright. I think the biggest challenge is teaching the remote students AND the in-person students simultaneously. I really admire how my MT has adapted to that, if she is struggling with it, she sure isn’t letting on!

I had to reteach a portion of my literacy WG lesson today. I think it went a little better this time. I tried to change the format of my google slides as well as added a little more scaffolding to the research DI. It was a learning experience for all the students, as well as myself. I think I got some valuable feedback from both Dr. Kelly as well as my MT as to how to adjust my lessons in the future. I don’t teach again until after Spring Break, so I am happy to have plenty of time to prepare!

Week 8- Teaching at the School! (Hybrid & Remote learners) :)

Jarrell Harris 

As I sigh, whew, is all I can say. Today was a very thick and festive day. I of course, had the jitters knowing that it was my day to teach. My MT met me at the main office again, we walked and discussed my lesson plan’s readiness. My MT walked me down to this 1^st grade wing to consult with others about considerations with using technology to teach. My MT and I spent about 30 minutes during the morning attempting to connect my laptop to the smartboard, it unfortunately did not work out (we really tried though). 

 

Here’s exciting news: I taught with hybrid students being present, I was slightly nervous because I wanted to give them the best version of myself. I was bittersweet seeing their faces beyond the screen (in-person). One of the students immediately acknowledged me upon walking in. I am so happy about the experience; I was even able to walk some of the students to the bathroom. My lesson went well, of course, technology is very unpredictable, but I rolled with punches and taught without allowing technical issues to hinder. I really look forward to gaining more experience with teaching and assisting the students in-person. It was truly a stretch for me, ensuring to include the remote and hybrid students within the lesson experience, I am proud of myself. 

Week 7! Back in person!!

 Yasmine Mustafa

3-11-2021

Today was our first day back in person! It was super nerve wrecking. I had so many thoughts that were just flowing through my body non stop! My MT gave me a little tour around the school and introduced me to other teachers as well. Everyone was really nice and welcoming. It felt so weird being in a school with no children but, hopefully they will be back soon. As the day began, my MT took me to the copy room where she showed me how to make copies. We made about 160 copies of packets that needed to go home with students. The teachers emailed parents and guardians about the different times for pick up. We collected all the packets, books, and materials that were needed for the students. Even though some are going to be hybrid there were a couple of students who were most likely not coming back. So we gathered everything they needed to be able to do their work from home! I did not realize how much work and time was needed to gather everything for the students. My MT and I were able to get it done in no time and ready for pick up! 

I taught my second lesson but, my first lesson in person. It felt really good to be back in the classroom because I felt more confident to teach. Being in a classroom is a huge difference compared to my teaching from my basement! My Mt was right beside me and providing me with great feedback that kept me going. I taught Math. I was so nervous because honestly Math is not a subject I am to confident with and now I was going to teach it!! I did pretty well though. I actually had a lot of fun teaching it and the students were actively engaging throughout so it was a really good day for me! I can not wait to go back and continue teaching the rest of my lessons!

Week 7 Finally in-person

 Paulina Kedzierski

March 11, 2021

Thursday was a day full of new and exciting experiences. We started in-person observations and first time teaching a lesson from the school setting. I have taught of a social science lesson about wants and needs. It is definitely a different experience versus remote teaching, where everything is in my room and ready to go. I had everything ready the day before, but still, I was nervous that I will forget something. I decided to use a real plant for my anticipatory set, and I almost forgot to take it with me. In-person observations and teaching were definitely overdue. It is a totally different experience than sitting at home in front of the screen (in my sweat pants :). The students were still remote, but they already noticed that both of us are in a classroom. One clever student determined that by looking at our backgrounds. Smart little guy!

I am a little bit nervous about next week. Not because students will there but because I am afraid of teaching my lesson, with some students being in-person and some still remotely. I will have to figure out how to accommodate all students and include them in my lesson. 

Finally, it was so nice to see familiar faces from Zoom. It is hard to believe that we did not meet some of our classmate's face to face. Some of us were able to see each other during DAP last year, but it was only for a short period of time. 

Week 7 - Back to the Classroom!

March 14, 2021

By: Kate Drish

This week's FE was great! Not only was I able to go in the classroom, but I also was able to meet my MT in person! To say she is wonderful, is an understatement. My MT and I click so well and we had the best conversations throughout the day. She definitely makes me feel more comfortable and confidence when teaching. When I walked into room 5, she already had a desk cleared for me to work (complete with a name tag and everything!) She had asked if I was comfortable teaching some lessons and I was overjoyed that she felt that I was ready to start taking more responsibilities over classroom tasks. Before our Google meet, she gave me a tour of the classroom and school and introduced me to some of her coworkers. She seemed really excited that I was able to help her out this term as she is teaching in person and online simultaneously. 

As the day went on, my nerves settled and I continued to do more and more to help support my MT. I ended up leading our math, reading, and science lesson! It definitely ran smoother having the materials on hand! The students all responded really well with me taking over the lessons and I think the extra experience really helps in the long run! While the students were participating in their independent work, my MT and I cleaned the classroom, decorated, and overlooked Go Guardian. I'm so thankful that we had time to bond and get closer. She was able to show me materials she has, lessons she's written, as well as different tools she uses for classroom management! She even gave me my own "desk pet" (a small silicone bear) to keep as a reminder of my experience in her classroom this semester. I'm so excited to be back on a normal schedule and begin teaching the kids in person! These last few weeks of FE are going to be great! 

In a breakout room teaching subtraction using a new tape diagram strategy!

First day meeting teacher in person!

March 14, 2021

Amy Mustafa

I was assigned to go to Crete Monee & today was finally the first day we got to actually meet our teachers in person & go into the school! Although, we still had to teach the students virtually on google classroom I enjoyed the experience of  teaching in their classroom & not at home. My MT initially started by showing me around her classroom & where she keeps all her material, which are things I would most likely be using myself as the year goes on. My MT showed me were the school has their printing room & also instructed me on how to work the school printer. She had me print out the packet assignments for the students for when they do come pick them up later in the day. 

On my first day in the school, I taught a science lesson on the different states of matter. Both my MT & I were surprised that a few students knew that nitrogen & helium were both gasses. This comes to show that second graders are so much brighter than what we may think! The lesson went very well although I would have wished the student were there in the school with me. Next week, a few students will be coming into the school & I will be meeting them in person for the first time & I cannot wait!

Week 7 - First day in person!

 

By Brenda Johnson

Today was so much fun!  So many firsts! I went into the school building for the first time, I met my MT in person for the first time, and I met my classmates in person for the first time! I also got to teach my Social studies lesson. My MT & I were not sure what both of us being in the same room and on the same meet would look like. We tried it out before the kids joined us. We figured with my headphones on, and my microphone muted most of the time, we should be ok. So, before I spoke, My MT muted her microphone. The students were wondering why my MT had a mask on, they asked to see the whole classroom on her camera. They were so happy when they spotted me.  Students that will be coming back in person were excited to learn that they will get to meet me in person.  I assured our friends that will be remote that they will be part of everything we do in the classroom.

My Social studies lesson was on Nigeria, my country of origin. My MT thought it would be great for the kids to learn a few things about Nigeria.  I was glad to teach them! I like the water fall effect that comes from everyone sending their messages on the chat at the same time, so I decided to use it for my AS. The students already enjoy typing in the chat (in fact on several occasions, my MT had had to disable chat for them) I thought they would love it and they did! I displayed a picture of the Nigerian flag and the map of Nigeria and asked them what those were. A student said that was a map and a flag, she told us why she thought so. I then asked the students to type in the chat what country they thought those belonged to. It was so much fun especially with the water fall effect. They guessed so many different countries, but not Nigeria. Students were thrilled at the kinds of food eaten by Nigerians. I brought some left over jollof rice and fried plantain to show them. It was very interactive, they talked about possible differences and similarities with American foods. We read a book on Nigeria too. One student shared with us that he had visited Nigeria before. That was exciting! He told us if his experience.

My MT is so warm and welcoming, she made me so at home. I joined her in setting up the classroom for students’ return. I cannot wait to meet students in person next week!

                                                                            

First Time in the Building!

Mary Fayta

3-11-21

  Today I finally got to see the school and meet my MT in person! It was really nice to finally see her in person and to see her classroom. The day with the kids was pretty similar to what we usually do. It was cool to see my MT's set up as she uses a big projector to see all the kids on the screen. My MT showed me around the building a little bit and it was really nice to finally get back into a school! I got to meet a few of the other teacher and I also got to sit in on a morning meeting over Google Classroom. 

  Later in the day my MT had me help her create some place value charts for the kids. She showed me how the copier and the laminating machine. She had me cut out all of the laminated pieces and put them together. I was happy that I was able to help her in the classroom because I know she's been really stressed with this transition. I'm very excited to meet a few of the kids next week. There will only be three kids in the classroom but it will still be exciting to meet a few. I am hoping to be able to work one on one with them I think that would be a lot of fun and a great experience. 

Week 7: First Day in the Classroom

 Sara Kent 

3-11-21

Today was a great day! It was our first day back in the classroom and while the kids weren't back yet it was nice to see them. They had a new schedule today for when some kids do come back in person next week so they were online longer than they normally would be. It was so nice meeting my MT in person today and seeing her classroom. My MT made a point to me that usually her classroom is a lot more vibrant but because of Covid restrictions she couldn't bring all her furniture back into her classroom such as the couch but I told her that we will make it work. It will feel more vibrant when there are actual kids in the classroom I think. 

This week was my first week in 3 weeks without a lesson so it was nice to just kind of sit back and observe my MT and taking a break from lesson planning. I got to assist my MT with getting together the kids bins that will be at their desks with their individual supplies. The kids thought it was so cool that me and my MT were in the same room together. They kept asking to see me on my MT's camera which was cute. I can't wait until next week when I get to meet some of the kids in person so that I'm not staring at my laptop all day. 

First Day in the Classroom - In person

 Stefanie Flory 

3-11-21

    What a great day!! Finally today was the day,  it felt so good to be in a classroom! It was so exciting to meet my MT for the first time in person and get to see her classroom. I can say that this is one of the days that makes me feel so grateful to be in the education field. I really admire all the teachers out there right now, that are doing all they can to ensure their students are successful in the classroom, remotely or in person. Teachers really don't get the credit we all deserve! 

    As far the day went, I taught my second lesson today, literacy. I think that the lesson was great. I was super nervous in the beginning because I realized that now that we are in the classroom, I don't have another screen like I do at home to help monitor the children while I teach them. I expressed this concern with my MT and she was great! She actually was able to pull up the meet on the SmartBoard, so I could see the students! This really helped me in making sure I was able to call on the students and see them participating along with me in the lesson. My lesson was about American and Japan culture and although I was unsure how the lesson would go, being in the new setting, I feel like I improved from my last lesson. I am so excited to continue to progress and grow more in the upcoming weeks to come and better yet, getting to meet the STUDENTS next week! I am beyond ready to meet the children and work with them in person. I wish my MT had more students returning but now we both will need to manage both in person and remote learners and make sure they all feel included!! Can't wait for next week😃

Part of my lesson was having the students use a sentence stem to compare something we do in America in comparison to something that's done in Japan. Here is one example of a student's sentence!                                                

Week 7-First Day in the Building!!

Jarrell Harris 

Ooooh my, where do I begin? Today was such a great experience. I walked up to the doors of Coretta Scott King anticipating a very unusual(due to COVID-19), but fun encounter! Whew, I finally was able to meet my amazing MT in-person. My MT literally met me at the main office as soon as I walked. The school is huge and very spacious. It took me down memory lane, I have not been inside of a school building since the beginning last year. Majority of the staff were extremely welcoming!

So, my MT and I worked very well together in the classroom, she makes it very easy to follow her lead. Today, I was able to gain more virtual lead experience with the students: attendance, sending out announcements and assisting students who did quite understand certain concepts. My MT had a rolling desk available for me upon entering the classroom. I was able to assist my MT with stapling report cards. I was able to meet the music teacher and the art teacher in-person. My MT and did a lot of technology trial and error today. Some of the students were inquisitive after discovering that my MT and I were stationed in the same place. I really look forward to teaching in the building next week!

First day back in classroom & First day teaching

 By: Jamia Royal  

3/11/2021

 Today was the first day in the classroom and I also taught my first lesson. First off, I can honestly say I am excited to be back into the classroom, I missed the classroom environment. I was not that confident with teaching at home because using google classroom was a bit hard for me. I could not see all the students and I would not be able to call on everyone, so being in the classroom is much better for me. As soon as I walked in my MT classroom, I observed the classroom set up and materials around the classroom. Students have shields around their desk due to COVID. We had technical difficulties with the internet at first, but IT came in and was able to fix the internet on my computer. We started with our morning routine with a morning song, calendar, and weather. We moved on to the math lesson and it was time for me to teach.

    I first introduced the topic with a PowerPoint and then we quickly reviewed comparing numbers and number bonds. My MT was a lot of help because I was not too familiar with how she had her laptop set up, so she was there to help if needed. I had the students using their whiteboards to interact with the lesson and that went well. We did the problem of the day together and then I explained the independent activity. I went over a few problems that had looked different from what we worked on like the equal sign being first and how to solve a subtraction problem. While the students were working, I would let students know if they needed help to raise their hand and I would help. One thing that went wrong with my lesson, was the exit slip. It did not upload to the google classroom, so the students just completed it in their workbooks. One thing that went well with my lesson was being able to understand and teach the content and having students actively engage in the lesson. One thing that I could improve in my lesson is being a little more tech savvy while working with google classrooms. I am very excited we are back in the classroom and next week we will have students. I teach for the rest of this month and I know I feel more confident in my upcoming lessons.

Week 7 - First Lesson

Emily Pinto

EDEC 4571/81

3.11.21        

Today was a pretty awesome day; not only was it the first day in the actual classroom but I also taught my first literacy lesson. Overall, it was really great finally getting into the class. It was nice to meet my MT in person, and see a couple of classmates working nearby during lunchtime as well. My MT is still very nervous about having a class that is half remote and half in-person at the same time, but I'm hoping that with my help for the time-being it will be a gradual ease-in to a new routine. 

As far as my first lesson went, I think it went great. The kids and I were really vibing together and with the exception of a few who rarely participate, I had a great engagement from them. The IP/Collaboration activity was a bit of a disaster. I tried to do a google slides thing where the kids would go into breakout rooms and find the definitions of some words in our text and put them in the slides, but somehow someone deleted like half the content on the slides! I think we recovered okay from it, but then I was informed that professor wasn't able to see the breakout room activity, so I'm really kicking myself over that. What a stupid mistake.

I'm thankful for the opportunity to reteach it, hopefully it goes better next time. Please no more stupid hiccups like that this semester!

Week 6- Almost Back In Person!!

 Yasmine Mustafa

3-8-2021

Today went great! Originally, we were supposed to be asynchronous. I was super upset because I just love being in the classroom! My MT then reached out to me and asked how I would feel doing small groups with all the students throughout the day to make sure they are doing their work and staying on task. I was thrilled when she mentioned this because I just love the kiddos I am with. She mentioned how it was going to be a super hectic day for her because she is trying to get her classroom and schedule ready for when the students come back. I told her not to worry because I could handle it. She was super relived when I told her that I would be okay and she could finish everything that she was doing. She taught me everything that I needed to know about each kid, which level groups they are in, etc. So, it was something I was familiar with. The day went extremely well! She also messaged me saying how great of a job I did throughout the day with the students.   

When the day began, My MT told me that we were going to hop onto our google meet with the kids to just go through that day and how it was going to look. My MT told me to stay on after the students left. It was just me and her and she told me that she had to call one of the student's guardians to let them know that their child is behind for his grade level. She asked me if I would like to stay on and listen to the phone call. I told her definitely, I knew I could learn a lot from this. I stayed on the phone call lasted for about twenty minutes it went extremely well. She informed the guardian that we will work as a team to make sure we are doing everything we can to ensure academic success for their child. The guardian was super understanding and was willing to do whatever it took for their child to be on track. I took a lot of notes from this phone call because I know as educators it is something that we are all going to have to do throughout our careers. Overall, it was a great day!

 

Week 6-First FE teaching lesson!

Jarrell Harris 

Wow, I taught for the first time, I was so anxious. I must say, I truly enjoyed teaching and the experience was enjoyable. The students were super engage and attentive. I am confident that a did a swell job at teaching. My MT was proud of me and informed that she thinks the lesson went well. I am so happy, the relationship I built with the students fueled my excitement to teach. 

I absolutely agree that there is room for growth, I need to practice more with presenting from Google-meet (ensuring that I am only sharing content that's being taught). I'd say, finding a better mechanism to be aware of the students who are participating, this'll prevent me from calling on the same students. Next time, I'd be sure to be conscious of features to exit it out of when teaching from the Google-meet platform, this'll permit me to see more of the students' screens. The students were so nice and helpful, telling me what tabs/features to close out of. Overall, the teaching experience truly opened my eyes to real life of teaching virtually; the experience stretched me (opened another level virtual thinking). 

Week 6: Asynchronous (Atlas videos)

 By: Jamia Royal 

3/7/2021

This week of field experience was very disappointing for me. Due to the students and teachers transitioning back into classroom, the students were asynchronous. I thought it would have still been okay to just observe from Go Guardian but my MT pretty much did not agree with that so I was left watching all the Atlas videos for this week. 

I appreciate the Atlas videos because we are able to watch different grades and subjects be taught. Even though hands on observation is a lot better. Not being able to monitor the kids on Go Guardian kind of upset me. Next week is my first teaching lesson so I am very excited for that. Unfortunately, I do not have much to say about this week of field experience. 😞

Week 6 - Best day Ever!

 

By Brenda Johnson

I had an awesome experience today! My MT was originally going to have her students work asynchronously all day. She had so much work to do to plan and get the classroom ready for students return. She therefore could not see students live, but then she thought to ask me if I didn’t mind being on the meet by myself with the students. When she asked, I was over the moon! This was going to be my first time! My MT showed me how to create a meet link and announce it to the whole class so that students can join the meet. Students were excited to learn that it was just going to me and them.  We had a schedule for the day, I encouraged students to follow the day’s schedule closely.

We started with student sharing their special things with the class. My MT has like a schedule for that, students take turns to share with their friends. They are asked questions. We went on to question of the day. The day’s question was, “What is your favorite holiday and why? After writing down their responses, students got a chance to share with the class. I enjoyed listening to their reasons for picking holidays as their favorites. I then prompted students to go on to the next work on the schedule. After lunch, we worked on math, did vocabulary A-Z, squiggly spelling, free choice writing, mystery doug etc. We had a dance party too! All this while I was monitoring kids on gogaurdian.  I told them that we were working quietly and if they had a question, they could message me in gogaurdian. Oh, my goodness! It was not easy to keep up with the kids and all the questions they were asking. It really felt good to be in the position I was today. I ended the different meets when it was time to (just like my MT did) and then generated new links for new meets. I learned so much about the students today. I was also able to share some things with them too. Now I know how to host a meet independently! 😊

This week's spelling words.

Week 6: Teaching Literacy

 Mary Fayta

3-4-21

    Today I taught my literacy lesson on the differences between a fractured fairy tale and a fairy tale. The same thing happened that happened on the day of my last lesson, I was logged out of my Crete Monee email and could not get back in. I emailed and called IT with no answer. Luckily my CT was able to send me the classroom link so that I could get in. But then I could not access my materials for my lesson! Thankfully I had saved a draft of the activity in Google Classroom the night before, so my CT was able to access it and present it for me. She was a huge help with this lesson and all my technical problems. Through these problems I learned to not stress out about it because it usually will work out in the end. This situation also made me realize I should create a copy of my materials in my personal account if this happens again.

   Otherwise I thought my lesson went ok. The kids seemed to really enjoy the story and they did a great job with the activity. In the activity I had the students categorize parts of Goldilocks and the Three Bears and Goldilocks and the Three Dinosaurs, which was the book I read. I really enjoyed looking over each assignment and seeing what the students struggled with and what they did really well with. I also added two bonus questions asking what their favorite part of each story was. It was really fun to read all of their cute answers. I will definitely be adding more open ended questions to future lessons!

Week 6 - Susan B. Anthony and Me!

 March 4th, 2021

By: Kate Drish

Today I taught my second lesson which was for social studies! My MT and I decided that I should focus on a topic related to Women's History Month. I decided to talk about Susan B. Anthony as she paved the way for women and their right to vote. I really liked my anticipatory set for this lesson plan. I had the students participate in a gender-bias voting simulation. First, I asked a simple, yet silly, question. "Which is better? Candy or ice cream?" I asked all the students (girls and boys) to take a moment to really think about which they prefer. Then, I strategically only called on all the boys to get their opinions and votes on which was better: candy or ice cream. Once I was able to tally up the votes of the boys, I declared that ice cream was better because the boys in our class had said so. When I asked if anyone had notice anything unfair about the activity, not one student answered. I then made them aware that I had only called on the boys to share their responses. Once I did this, I was met with frustrations from the girls in my class. Of course, I then explained that these feelings were valid and that they relate to some of the feelings women had in the past when they were unable to vote! Throughout my lesson, I was able to engage a lot with the students and they seemed really interested in the activities I had planned. For the last minute or two of my lesson, I opened the chat for everyone, boys AND girls, to share which they liked better.. either candy or ice cream. When I did this, the students started to smile and giggle. The girls were so excited that they had the right to voice their opinion! 

I think this strategy worked well with the students as they were all able to put themselves in the shoes of those who lived back then. The girls were able to directly relate with the feeling of not being represented and treated unfairly. The boys were also able to reflect on the feelings that the girls had and how that made them feel. Overall, I think the lesson plan accomplished what I wanted which was to acknowledge Susan B. Anthony's accomplishments and successes, as well as learn about equality and human rights.

The question that sparked debate.

A short biography I created about Susan B. Anthony. It was read aloud to the students as they created a timeline of her life.

Week 6-First lesson

 March 4, 2021

Amy Mustafa   

    Today was an asynchronous workday as all the teachers were at the school getting things ready for when the students go back into the school next week. The day began "live". My MT posed a question for their "Three Things Thursday". She asked " “What are your three favorite books? Do you have a favorite Dr. Seuss book? Why are they your favorites?" She posted the question on Google classroom and had the students answer on their own. As my MT was getting things ready at the school she put me in charge of assisting the students on GoGuardian. Before the day started she sent me a Google doc that had a list of students who needed help with sight words and addition and subtraction. During This asynchronous workday, I would overall answer any questions the students may have had and also assist them with whatever it is they would be working on or struggling with. I helped a few students In individual breakout rooms with addition and subtraction problems. Some students were using their computers for things unrelated to school so I also closed tabs here and there and made sure everybody stayed on task. Overall today was a very busy day for the students and I.

    Today was my first-day teaching. I taught a Literacy lesson on story structure. This month, the students at Crete Monee are celebrating Dr. Seuss's birthday. I had the students engage in listening to the story of, The Cat in The Hat & after completing a graphic organizer on it. I was somewhat pleased with how my lesson went although it would have gone smoother if I did not have technical difficulties. Google classroom is something I am not used to using and I feel that my next lesson will go a lot smoother. I definitely feel that if I was in person I would have managed the overall class better. I also feel that 30 minutes is not enough to teach a whole lesson. Yes, I was nervous as it was my first lesson but I look forward to teaching again next week.

Week 6 - On my Own

 Stefanie Flory 

March 4th, 2021

    Today was so reassuring! With the return of the students into the classroom, my MT has a lot to prepare for. When I spoke with her yesterday, she seemed very overwhelmed with all of the things she has to do and prep in her classroom. I decided to offer to help her, in any way I could. I suggested that I would meet with the students live in the morning and help them with their morning work. I was so excited, it was really my first time working with the whole class by myself.

I had so much fun with them, even though I wasn't teaching them any lessons or doing any activities, just being able to work with them and answer their questions was so fun for me! I also think it gives the children the opportunity to build on our relationship as me being the teacher, instead of the "guest" in the classroom. It really made me feel good and I was glad I was able to help my MT so she didn't have to try and set up her classroom while remotely teaching in a google meet. 

Next week will be even better! I get to meet my MT on Thursday and teach my 2nd lesson - literacy! 

I can't wait!!