Blog Reflection

The blog assignment was a learning experience that had some pros and cons. I have never blogged before and I was surprised at how easy it was to set up. I found it easy to navigate through the blog pages and customizations. The biggest challenge was trying to figure out how to add links to the other class members’ blogs, but once I figured out how to do the first one, the rest was easy. Now that my blog is set up and actually has posts with pictures, I am a little proud of this accomplishment of learning to blog!

One of my biggest disappointments was to learn that blogging is blocked at the school that I work at as a paraprofessional in Eureka Springs. It is blocked on every teacher’s computer as well as the computers in the library. I felt that it would be beneficial for teachers to be able to blog during a prep period and use blogging as a tool to share and gain ideas to and from other teachers. I feel that incorporating blogs into the classroom would benefit the students as they would be in awe to see a teacher’s blog with posts and pictures of activities that they have done; it would give them a sense of pride in their accomplishments as a class. It was hard for me to keep up with the blog as an MAT student who isn’t teaching yet. I felt that I would have more to blog about if I had a teaching job; however it was nice to be able to read some of the other MAT student’s blogs and read about their teaching experiences.

Outdoor Adventure

When trying to think of an idea for an outdoor adventure, my first thought was to visit the Crater of Diamonds State Park since Arkansas is considered the diamond state, but I felt that it wasn't really feasible for where I am located to expect students to tolerate a 5 hour bus ride for a field trip. So, I focused on something local, the Prairie Grove Battlefield State Park. This is one of the most intact battlefields from the Civil War, and on December 4-5, there will be a re-enactment that the students can watch as well. I also decided that the students could put on a mini skit for the parents on the effects of the war on the local citizens. I can remember visiting this park when I was a student, and anything that I remember about the Civil War, I learned on that day. It is such a great learning place!!

Book Review - The Teacher's Funeral

The Teacher’s Funeral: A Comedy in Three Parts by Richard Peck is a humorous fiction novel about a young boy named Russell Culver who lives with his younger brother Lloyd, older sister Tansy, and father on a small farm in Indiana in the early 1900’s. Russell, a fifteen-year-old eighth grader, enjoys the simple life of camping and fishing with his brother and best friend Charlie, and helping his dad with the daily chores of the farm. He also has a dream of going to the Dakotas to join a team of wheat harvesters and never having to return to school again. Shortly before school starts in August, Miss Myrt Arbuckle, the old and mean schoolteacher at Russell and Lloyd’s small one-room Hominy Ridge School, “hauled off and died” (pg. 3) leaving the boys with a hope that school will be cancelled. To Russell’s dismay, his bossy sister Tansy gets hired to become the new teacher of a crew of eight despite having a year of high school left. She takes on this role vigorously, letting nothing get in her way, not even privy fires or snakes. This book is a great story to use in the classroom for the middle level grades. I would love to have my students compare their favorite teachers to the teachers in this book, and how much teachers have changed since then.





Field Experience Part 2

I must say that Ms. Allen's 7th grade literature class was my favorite experience from this assignment, along with an interview with her. She is such an inspiring teacher!! She told me that she comes up with a theme every year and this year's theme is rock-n-roll. She has old records dangling from her ceiling and even an old record player where she plays oldies and has students identify literary elements such as personification, etc. Ms. Allen also told me that she wore a cap turned sideways and sang to the students on the first day of school! How I would have loved to see that!! The Eureka Springs Middle School has a lit lab for every grade 5-8, and each literature teacher has a double room that has been opened up to one big room, half set up like a mini-library. I posted some pictures below of Ms. Allen's class and lit lab. Ms. Allen also has a Masters degree in curriculum design and loves developing unique lesson plans. Every nine weeks, a new novel is introduced to the students and a folder is kept and maintained by the students to keep their assignments in related to the novel of that term. They are currently working on Bruiser, but have done Skeleton Creek in the past. I also posted a picture of a students work from Skeleton Creek.

A picture of Ms. Allen's Lit Lab

Another view of Lit Lab

The other half of Ms. Allen's classroom. Notice the old records hanging from the ceiling for her rock-n-roll theme.

Last 9 weeks Book project was on Skeleton Creek. This is an example of the cover created by a student on the file folder along with a plot diagram. The table of contents of what goes in the folder is listed on the inside of the file folder.

Field Experience

On Monday the 8th, I started my field research experience at the Eureka Springs Middle School and I truly learned alot! During my first hour I observed an 8th grade Algebra class in which a student did push ups in exchange for her calculator that she left in the class. My second hour I observed a 6th grade literacy class in which the teacher used a coaching whistle to get his students attention. I also observed a 7th grade literacy class as well as a 5th grade math class. The 5th grade math class was Mr. Griffin's class in which I had permission to take a couple of photos, see below. He used a lot of modeling and guided practice and used a smart board, which the school just installed this year. I also interviewed the principal about block scheduling, which this school doesn't follow. The school district is too small, however the 5th and 6th grades have a modified block schedule that resembles a shorter block schedule then the average block. I learned so much more during my day and I look foward to more teacher interview and team meeting observations!

Mr. Griffin's 5th Grade Math



A student asking Mr. Griffin a math question

Life Skills Cooking Lessons

In the self contained classroom that I work in we have been working on life skills lessons with the students. Once a week we plan and make a meal for lunch and eat it in the "apartment" aka the classroom complete with tablecloths, dishes, serving ware, dessert etc. The food is prepared in the old home economics classroom. Each student is given a job to do based on their ability level to help prepare the meals. After the meal is prepared, the food is moved down the hall to the classroom and each student makes their plate and we even watch a movie while we eat! The students also assist with the household duties of cleaning up, dishes, sweeping etc. Last week we made mini pizzas with English muffins, hamburger meat, pizza sauce, cheese, olives, and bell peppers. We used the olives for eyes and bell pepper strips for mouths to make little pizza smileys :) It was a fun, hands - on learning experience for all. P.S. We even had ice cream and chocolate chip cookies for dessert!!! I plan on using my nutrition background to plan a healthier meal next week!!

3 students working together in Life Skills Cooking Lessons

A student showing off the Pizza Smileys :)

Another Book Review - Raven Summer

Raven Summer by David Almond is a Fiction book appropriate for 7-9th grade readers. Set in Britain against the backdrop of the war in Iraq, this book shows how war can impact the everyday lives of people even worlds away from such conflict. This book would  be appropriate to use in an English, Science, or Social Studies class with the use of imagery, creative writing, war refugees, ravens, camping in the great outdoors and much more. The story is about a young boy named Liam and his friend Max who are led by a raven to find a baby girl left out in the woods with a note and some money. After the baby is sent to a foster home, Liam and his parents go visit her and Liam meets Crystal, a wild-child girl, and Oliver, a refugee from Liberia. Liam's mother falls in love with the baby and decides to adopt the baby and they name her Alison. One day Crystal and Oliver run away from their foster home and come to find Liam. After their successful search, the three of them set out for a camping adventure and Oliver reveals his true identity and the evil he is truly capable of doing. What is wrong with Oliver and what happened in his past that made him escape Liberia? Why was Alison left out in the woods as a baby? To find out, you will have to read Raven Summer. It will be hard to put this book down once you start to read...