Weekly Newsletter

Hello parents and family members! We have had a very successful week and have been learning a lot of new material. In math, we are currently working on long division work problems, and there has been a lot accomplished. If you have noticed that you child is needing some extra practice, there are some good worksheets here. In Language Arts, we are starting to learn about character descriptions in our writing, and reading Crash by Jerry Spinelli to help us see strong characters in books. In Social studies we are learning about the indians in North Carolina and we are starting out biography project so get excited! 


Reminders:
* Biography project due on December 19th 
* Field trip to see The Nutcracker on December 15th
* Winter break is coming up!


Homework for the week:
Monday: Math - page 120 in workbook
              Social Studies - Pick person for biography
              Language Arts - Read chapter 3 in Crash

Tuesday: Math - page 184 in workbook
               Social Studies - Research for biography
               Language Arts - Crash response question

Wednesday: Math - page 73 in workbook
                    Social Studies - Research for biography
                    Language Arts - Read chapter 4 in Crash

Thursday: Math - Worksheet
                Social Studies - Rough draft for biography
                Language Arts - Crash response question
Friday: Have a great weekend, and keep working on your biography! Also read chapter 5 in Crash

Technology Integration

When I hear the word technology it makes me cringe, I have never been what one would consider tech savvy and have always struggled with that. Being at school and having so many classes on technology I have become a lot more comfortable with technology, but it still isn’t something that I am 100% comfortable with. This caused me to be very nervous when integrating technology in my unit, but doing this has opened my eyes to a lot of the different options that are out there for integrating technology, and I am a lot more open to the different options.

When starting to plan my unit, I first decided what topic each of my lessons would focus on, and then I decided where I would integrate the technology. I knew that there were a few programs that I wanted to be included, so I started with those, and placed them throughout the lessons.

The first technology that my students used was a website called Pixton, which is a program where students can make their own digital comics to present information. In the lesson they were provided an example of what the comic should look like, and then they were split into groups to make their own. I decided to include this in my unit because it is a fun way for the students to present the information to the rest of the class, and it is fun and engaging.

Another form of technology that they used was Glogster in order to make a digital poster about a Pharaoh from Ancient Egypt. Glogster is a great resource to use that allows students to make a poster online and be able to include videos, links, picture, and sounds. The students will be given websites where they can look up information and then make the digital poster and then present to the class. I believe that this enhanced my unit because it is a way that students can really put their ideas and the information that they found out there and share them with the class.

The students will also be going on a webquest to learn all about the animals of Ancient Egypt. This is something that I made on Glogster where the students go to different pages and read about the different animals. The students are not creating anything themselves with this, but they are required to go through the different pages to gather the information. This is a fun an interactive way to present information to students so that they are not just being talked at for an hour.

The students are also going to be writing a blog in ClassPress, which is a blogging website for classes where students can share their work. The students will be reflecting about what life would be like if they had grown up in Ancient Egypt. Writing a blog as opposed to writing on paper gives students the chance to do something out of the ordinary, which they may not be used to, and would therefore make it more exciting for them. Students can also share their work with each other through this program and discuss their different points of view.

There is also an E-Book that I made using PowerPoint that the students are going to read in the beginning of a lesson. The book is an introduction to Egypt, and gives the students some background information. It has the print words at the bottom of the page and it also has the recorded voice that the students can listen to. This is good for students because it puts the learning more on them because they have to read it themselves, but it also gives them the needed support so they get the information that is presented.

The last piece of technology is a Virtual Field Trip where students go through pictures and videos of Egyptian ruins to learn more about what Egypt was like. Each student will be on his or her own computer and go through the presentation and spot at significant places in Egypt. Since it is highly unlikely for a student to have taken a trip to Egypt, this is a good way to show them what it looks like and help them make a connection to what they have learned.

Although this part of my unit was the most challenging, I believe that it made it more engaging, interactive, and exciting for the students. When teaching Egypt, it is hard for some students to understand and connect to what is being taught because they either have never been there or they have never heard of it. Integrating technology makes it so that students can really connect to the topic that is being presented. In addition, kids love computers, it is what they have grown up with since they were born. Being able to use computers really excited children in every classroom that I have been in, and make them so much more interested in what they are learning. The programs mentioned above, and others such as Animoto, a site to create movies, ActivInspire, which is a program for SMART boards, and Edmodo which is a safe social networking site for a class, are really helping education is moving in a totally different direction.

In the future I do plan on using technology in my classroom. I am still a little old school in thinking that it should not be used all the time, and that it is frequently used as busy work for students though. There are some programs that are not effective in student learning and are made to generate higher test scores, which, in my opinion is not a beneficial use of technology. One site that I feel like is overused at the school that I student teach at, which is ineffective is Study Island. It is a website that tests students in math and reading and from what I hear about it, it is not engaging for students, and they aren’t learning much. When I am given the chance, I would like to use the programs above and Apple products if they are available in my school district. Apple has been reinventing technology for education by making things such as the iPad with multiple applications that can be used in the classroom. While I do not plan in having my students rely on technology and my classroom dependent on technology, I do plan to use it to enhance the education of my students. 

If I Lived in Ancient Egypt...

I woke up this morning, and looked around my room to see my brother and sisters. We all had to get up to start our day. I am the oldest boy in the family, and the only one who goes to school. I am learning to be a scribe. In school all we do is learn how to write. We have to copy down hundreds of signs over and over again until we can do it correctly. It is really hard, and I do not like going. While I am at school, my dad works as a scribe, keeping records of crops for farmers. That is what I will do when I get out of school. Dad tells me that when I am older and become a professional scribe, I will be happy that I went to school and learned how to write. I don’t think that is true. Mom and my sisters cook and make sure that the house is clean. They also take care of my little brother. Sometimes I wish I could just stay at home. Dad works hard to get us money though and we have a nice house, and we always have food. Although I go to school all day long and have a mean teacher, I know it could be worse. 

PBS Teachers!

PBS teachers is a great resource for all teachers to use. They have endless lesson plans, games, videos, and interactive activities for the arts, health and fitness, math, reading and language arts, science and technology, and social studies, in grades pre-K to 12. In addition, they have teacher discussions and professional development resources. This is a website that has resources for students, teachers, and parents, overall it is very informative, and a must have in your bookmarks.


The first thing that I noticed on this website was the fact that they have just about everything that I teach! They have a lot of ideas, all of which are hands on or interactive, not lectures or things boring for students or teacher. Not only do they have ideas, but they also include a lot of familiar characters that students know and relate to, making it more interesting to them. 


Another very useful resource that they offer is a discussion board for teachers. This is a place where teachers can go and ask other teachers for ideas, or help, or just about anything. The other good thing about this is that you can search previous questions that have been asked and see those responses as well. Teachers all need to work together to help educate the future, and this is a good way to help.


There are two things that I found on this website that I absolutely LOVE are an eat right contest, and a  road trip around the country with Wilson and Ditch. The eat right contest reinforces that students eat right, and the class gets money to enhance their class if they win. The road trip has two animals that lead students around the country to major cities, and tell them important facts and show clips of the most popular parts of the city. 


This is a website that I would recommend to any teachers of any experience, subject, or grade. Hope you enjoy it!

Pixton!

Hey class! Today we are going to be learning about both Kenya and Egypt. You will be paired up with another student, and you will both read the comic that I made about Kenya, and discuss it with each other. How is your life different from a child in Kenya's? How is your family different? What do you usually eat at the holidays?

Once you discuss whatever is on your mind, you and your partner will come to me, and I will give you a group number. You will see in the second comic that there are directions for you. You will use my comic as a model, and you and your partner will make one slide for an Egypt comic.

Once everyone finishes, we will put them all together, and you get to teach your classmates and me what you found.

Formative Assessment in the Second Grade Classroom!

Formative assessment and summative assessment to be used together in order for a successful year. Formative assessments can include conferences, journals, observations, and portfolios. Summative assessments include standardized tests, end of unit tests or projects, and course grades. In order to get to a point where the students are taking units tests, or doing projects, there must be formative assessments to get them to that point. 

This year, I am working in a second grade classroom for my internship, and second grade is a great place to be! Compared to older grades, students don't have as much pressure on the with standardized test scores, so as a teacher, there is more opportunities for formative assessment. 


Formative assessment is beneficial for many reasons, and it should be used in all classrooms.  Unlike summative assessment, formative assessment provides instant feedback whenever the teacher needs it. It allows the teacher to know where the students are within the Big Idea that they are teaching, so they can lead their students to success. 


In the second grade, there is not as much emphasis on summative assessments and standardized testing, so teachers really have a bigger opportunity to use more formative assessment. While there should be a good balance of both types, I believe that formative assessment should be used more in the classrooms. It shows students how they are progressing, and doesn't just give them a number to look at, it gives them more feedback to help them grow in the future. It is also easier to vary formative assessment to make it more personalized for an individual student.