Final Thoughts...

Well, this course is coming to an end and I am going to reflect on some of the things I learned and experiences I had. During this course I became much more comfortable in front of the classroom. I would say that this was the most drastic difference the course made for me. This was most likely due to the high amount of time we spent in teaching roles. In fact, I had never taught an entire class, so doing so only two-three weeks into the course was intense!

Additionally, I learned how important working cooperatively is in this career. Teaching cooperatively is a tough skill to acquire, but I think my skills have improved significantly. This is due to the fact that we spent a lot of time working together in groups. For instance, we created the Native American Tribal project, and worked in groups for our lessons.

Another aspect of the class that drastically altered my teaching perspective was the use of technology. I realized that technology is important in this day and age. However, I was pleasantly surprised to see that this course was taught completely through technology. Meaning, that there were no handouts/assignments to print out to turn in. This is environmentally efficient, and more practical for students in today's society. Therefore, this will be one of the most important things for me to remember and use in my future classroom.

Working with the fourth graders at Bishop Dunn really helped build my confidence as a teacher. I enjoyed working with a group of students more than once a week, which was a change for me. Also, the students thoroughly enjoyed the project and working with us which made it even better.

Finally, designing the unit was another first experience of mine. Although I have created a mini unit in language arts methods, I had never completed an entire unit. This seemed daunting at first. However, working on it in class and knocking off a little at a time proved to be a manageable feat. All in all, completing this unit helped me realize what I can do when I put my mind and the time into an assignment. 

Artifact Bag Activity

Last week we completed the artifact bag activity in class. Throughout the week we discussed the importance of teaching history and different methods to do so. Exposing children to primary sources, artifacts, and things they can explore for themselves, is much more effective than lecturing about history. Similar to science, and from my personal experience, being able to explore things with your own hands allows you to much better understand the concept or object. Unfortunately, I was not able to be in class Friday for the sharing of the artifact bags, due to a family problem. However, Rachel helped fill me in on what people brought in their artifact bags. I will be bringing my bag in on Monday in case Dr. Smirnova would like me to share.

My artifact bag consists of three pictures; one of Monsters Inc., one of Walt Disney Pictures, and one of a few different companies with words beneath. Each of these pictures was specifically chosen due to its representation of something our group taught the class at Bishop Dunn. For instance, the Monsters Inc. picture was included because I explained to the class that this is my favorite animated movie, and it was used to show a successful commercial. Additionally, the picture of Walt Disney was included in my artifact bag because our group taught the class about logos. The students learned that every company needs a logo that is easy to remember and sticks in someones head. Finally, the picture of a few different companies was used to signify slogans. Our group discussed what slogans are and the importance of a good slogan for a company. For instance, Nike's "Just do it," is simple and to the point. In fact, many people remember what Nike's slogan is without prompting!

All in all, I felt that this activity could be successfully used in an elementary classroom on a multitude of different topics. I believe that it would be most effective to have the students choose and research a specific person from the past and create an artifact bag based on the person they researched.

Create Your Own Country...

While doing some reading on geography lesson plans, I came across one in particular that I was fond of. This lesson consists of students creating their own country. This specific teacher broke the project into several manageable sections for the students. The first section consists of research, where students choose a country that already exists and answer eleven questions about it. These questions range from the name of the country to the vegetation to the language spoken there.

 Next, the students make a country of their own and go on to answer the same eleven question but this time, about their fictional country. They should use their imagination with this, but their answers must be logical. For instance, you cannot have a desert country that is tropical.

Then the students have to draw two maps; one of the research country and one of the fictional country. The maps should include a key, a scale, a compass rose, and any lakes, rivers, mountains, or other major physical features. Additionally, the maps should be about poster board size and include at least one major city or town. The poster board is used so that the students can share their map with the class. 

This activity not only provides an opportunity for students to develop their research skills, but gives them a lot of practice working with geography (through making the maps). Another positive aspect of this project is that students can be as creative as possible!

Last Day

Friday was the last day that we were in the classroom. In my opinion, it was the least productive day of the entire BizMovie process. This was probably due to the technical problems that happened on the computer, but the students basically had 15 minutes of completely free time. I know in our group it was tough to keep the students quite and well-behaved because there was not anything to keep them focused. However, each of the students received their certificates and trophies which was exciting. All in all, I think BizMovie could use a little tweaking, but has the potential to be a very successful program.

Group 4: Session 2
Today the students worked well on creating their animated movie. However, only one student is able to go to the computer and type at a time, so the other students had trouble staying focused and calm. Overall, the group got a lot of work done on the movie and came up with a few good ideas. The students who wanted to type seemed to really enjoy using the computer! One thing that came up during today's session was how some of our group is disappointed that they are not the characters in the movie. I see where they are coming from because they all want to get dressed up for the scenes. Maybe the next BizMovie group should have either everyone film the movies or have everyone make animated movies. This way none of the students feel left out.

Group 4: Session 1

Group 4: Session 1
Yesterday was the first session for the last group. After introducing new vocabulary and reviewing some older vocabulary words, the students were given an opportunity to work on their movie. The group that I work with, Sparks Fly, began using Kerproof to make their animated movie. The goal is to have the movie done by the end of class Wednesday, so we tried to get the students to work diligently. However, a few of the students did not take part in the movie creation this session, and were actually quite distracting. Hopefully they will be more motivated tomorrow so that they can finish making their animated movie!

Group 3: Final Session

Group 3: Final Session
Today was the last day of group 3's lessons, and the last day before our spring break. The majority of the lesson consisted of the students reviewing and learning new vocabulary terms. Once the new vocabulary was introduced some examples were shared. Then group 3 instructed the students to work together and create a piece of work explaining the new vocabulary. Sparks Fly made a poster with visuals and then they explained and shared examples of each term in front of the class. A few of the other groups made a rap or wrote a poem with the new vocabulary. I thought that the lesson was successful and I really liked how each group did something different with the vocabulary. Sometimes these activities get too repeatetive if each group does the same exact thing. Overall, group 3 did very well and got more confident as their sessions progressed.

Group 3: Second Session

Group 3: Second session
Today the class recorded their commercials. The lesson started by group 3 explaining and reviewing some vocabulary terms. Then the students were instructed to get ready to make the commercial. This consisted of getting the costumes ready, rehearsing the script, and adding/deleting anything last minute. Everyone in Sparks Fly showed enthusiasm to make the commercial. Furthermore, they all worked hard to figure out exactly how they wanted the commercial to go. Once the groups were ready to present they each went while the other groups watched on. All of the groups were fantastic! The students were obviously excited to be working on the commercials, but a few of them asked when we would be starting the filming of the movie.

Group 3: First Session

Group 3: First Session
Yesterday was the first day that group 3 taught the class. They used a direct instruction lesson to teach the companies about making commercials. After explaining some new vocabulary terms and reviewing prior knowledge, group 3 showed the companies an example of a commercial. The companies seemed to understand the purpose of a commercial and the steps in creating one. After the group introduced commercials to the students, the rest of worked with our usual companies. The student's were having trouble focusing. I think that when the room gets loud the students get louder and more off topic because they get excited. However, we were able to get them to come up with information for their commercial, which they will present Monday. Overall the lesson went well, I'm sure the new group was somewhat nervous as this was their first presentation. I am looking forward to the other lessons they come up with. 

Our Final Lesson

Yesterday was our last session as the head of the class. Overall it went well, these past two lessons have been less teacher centered than the direct instruction lesson (for obvious reasons). The class seems to be enjoying the activities we have been doing, and they seem to be learning a lot! In fact, Ms. Benfer told me that she was astounded how hardworking the class is as a whole with the project. Looking back at the three sessions I am happy with how they went. I think my confidence grew each time I was in front of the class. Furthermore, the last lesson I did not say "guys" at all, which is something I was working on. All in all it was extremely exciting to be in front of a class for the first time!

Fieldwork Session 5: Group 2: Inquiry Lesson
On Friday our group did our second lesson. We taught an inquiry lesson within which the students experimented with different movie maker programs. The prezi section of the lesson went well, however; I thought the group session was a little unorganized because of the new setting the class was in. We had trouble being able to talk to all the companies at once. Luckily, our college peers were able to explain the activity and its requirements to the companies. One of the companies faced problems with agreeing on a movie topic. We did our best to instill in the students that a venture capitalist would not invest in a company that does not know how to compromise with each other.

Fieldwork Session 4: Group Two Session One:
Yesterday was the first lesson that Chelsea, Joe, Rachel and I presented to the fourth graders at Bishop Dunn. We taught a direct instruction lesson plan on vocabulary dealing with BizMovie. Some of the words we taught the students were special effects, capital, and negotiate. I thought the lesson went very well overall. I came into the lesson feeling very nervous and unsure of myself as I have never taught an entire class before, just a few students. However, this one session left me feeling more confident and able in my teaching. I am looking forward to our inquiry lesson tomorrow morning for more practice.

Group One: Fieldwork Session 3
Today group one taught their cooperative lesson. In my opinion, they did a good job engaging the class and explaining the activity. The group of students we worked with was a little restless and had trouble deciding on the plot of their movie. A few of the students were being silly but they eventually got on track and got the work done. On Wednesday my group will begin our teaching sessions with a direct instruction lesson. I am looking forward to teaching the whole class.

Fieldwork Session 2: Group 1 Inquiry Lesson
I thought that today's lesson went more smoothly than previous one. All of the group members seemed more confident in front of the class. Personally, I prefer inquiry lessons to direct instruction so it is not surprising that I favored this session. In my opinion the students seemed more interested in the material since the activity was more student-centered. I look forward to the next session!

Fieldwork session 1: Group 1 direct instruction lesson

I thought that the lesson went well overall. I'm sure that it took some getting used to teaching in a group of four; or teaching in front of an entire class for that matter. The direct instruction lesson was engaging and informative and now I am looking forward to watching the inquiry and cooperative lessons. Additionally, I thought that each member of group 1 made progress with their teaching in that brief 1 hour lesson.