Tomorrow we are having an all-school movie/all-staff breakfast potluck.
Kdg-First: Despicable Me
Third-Fourth: Shrek IV
Second- Split between the two
I'm excited for the opportunity to socialize with the other staff members. This semester has been so busy that I hardly have had a chance to commisterate/collaborate with other teachers. I find it helpful to see what other people are doing in their classrooms, and sometimes I am able to incorporate their ideas into my lessons.
Thursday, December 16, 2010
"The Family Under The Bridge"
Every year the fourth grade classes are forced to read "The Family Under The Bridge," an antiquated tale of a hobo living in Paris who has a chance meeting with three homeless children. Much to the original dismay of their mother, he ends up becoming an integral part of the family structure and everyone lives happily ever after. The End.
I understand the importance of the message; don't judge a book by its cover. The problem as I see it is in the "odd" content within the text. Their are a series of French words throughout the novel that the students in ESL find especially difficult to pronounce, not unlike there non-ESL peers, and in addition - the novel contains many outdated phrases and long syllabic words. My students are finding it particularly disheartening to read this book, and it makes me generally sad. Sometimes the looks on there faces after I've corrected there reading a dozen or so times breaks my heart.
The questions that go along with the story are not too difficult, but the students still need some prodding at times to find the answer in long drawn out monologues/explanations made by the characters.
I believe that a main reason for their lack of fluency in reading this story stems from the lack of comparable texts read in class. This story is like an apple to the banana of other selections.
I understand the importance of the message; don't judge a book by its cover. The problem as I see it is in the "odd" content within the text. Their are a series of French words throughout the novel that the students in ESL find especially difficult to pronounce, not unlike there non-ESL peers, and in addition - the novel contains many outdated phrases and long syllabic words. My students are finding it particularly disheartening to read this book, and it makes me generally sad. Sometimes the looks on there faces after I've corrected there reading a dozen or so times breaks my heart.
The questions that go along with the story are not too difficult, but the students still need some prodding at times to find the answer in long drawn out monologues/explanations made by the characters.
I believe that a main reason for their lack of fluency in reading this story stems from the lack of comparable texts read in class. This story is like an apple to the banana of other selections.
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Snarky
I'm forcasting a looong week ahead. Contrary to popular opinion, missing a Monday actually throws off the week much more than missing a Friday. I would prefer the latter. As nice as it was to sleep in and walk around the house wearing extra comfy socks for an extra weekend day, the consequences or ummm set backs makes it kind of a bummer. The week is definitely thrown off now, and with a four day week coming up next week - teachers are scrambling to make up the missed work.
In addition to the obvious annoyances, I got pulled to sub for a 4th grade class for 20 min - sans lesson plans. Controlling a group of 29 kids is not my cup of tea, as I am extremely effective with smaller groups, I have not quite grasped the patience to deal with them in masses. To be honest, hose 20 minutes were quite terrifying.
In addition to the obvious annoyances, I got pulled to sub for a 4th grade class for 20 min - sans lesson plans. Controlling a group of 29 kids is not my cup of tea, as I am extremely effective with smaller groups, I have not quite grasped the patience to deal with them in masses. To be honest, hose 20 minutes were quite terrifying.
Friday, December 10, 2010
Quiet Morning
Today was a pretty average Friday morning; quiet.
I learned how to turn a wordsearch into a way to practice letter identification, beginning and ending sounds, and colors all in one. The kindergarten student seemed to enjoy the activity. She didn't seem to notice the list of words at the bottom..
The snow has the kids pretty excited for recess.
I learned how to turn a wordsearch into a way to practice letter identification, beginning and ending sounds, and colors all in one. The kindergarten student seemed to enjoy the activity. She didn't seem to notice the list of words at the bottom..
The snow has the kids pretty excited for recess.
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