Final Assignment

As I type this, I am heading over to Moodle to put my Final Unit Reflection into the Drop Box!

This has been a crazy semester! However, I feel like I can now sing "I Will Survive" or "I'm a Survivor"!! I made it!

Wrap-Up

I guess this semester is over. On my personal blog today, I posted that I feel like I'm rounding third and about to slide into home. Of course, I really feel like I'm rounding third and going to collapse ON home! :)

This has been a very interesting semester. However, I think I have officially survived. Well, it's only official after I turn in my Unit Reflection, fax over my Experience hours, and write-up a Reflection for the English Journal articles we are to read this week. Once those three things are complete (by tomorrow), I will be able to say that I officially survived.

As much as I would love to share my Clinical Experiences Reflection with all of you. However because of the fact that I just *love* to write so I only wrote EIGHT PAGES! I hope the rest of you wrote shorter reflections than that. IF you didn't, Dr. Coffey is going to be reading for months! lol

I'm getting anxious about where I'm going to be Spring 2010. Hope you all have great Student Teaching experiences next semester! Maybe, just maybe, some of us will keep our blogs and keep posting about ideas and things that are happening in English! We can use them to help each other!


Happy Holidays! Merry Christmas! Happy New Year! Pleasant Teaching! :)

Unit Planning

I hope that one day (SOON) I will get to teach the unit I just finished planning. Although I could not find all the works of art and literature and music that I wanted, I think I did well on the unit. I hope so anyways.

All I have to finish up now is typing up my Case Study. I finally have the paperwork for it and have it almost written up. I can't believe how long it has taken me. Then I have the Clinical Action Research Project (CARP) that I have to finish writing up. Most of it is written, I just have to type it up. Some of it (like my notes and stuff from class) I am going to have to copy and send to her. So, I might end up mailing a copy as well as e-mailing it.

This has been a crazy semester for me. I can only hope that Spring 2010 is 100% better.

Clinical Observations #6

This week ended my observations at MPHS. I finished up on Tuesday. I taught my lesson that I planned. I finished up all my Case Study stuff. And...I returned all the things that I had borrowed from the teacher.

On Monday, the students worked on using Context Clues to define new words in Grammar. Honestly, it did not go over really well. Most of the students ended up getting a dictionary and just looking the words up. They could not discover the meanings from the Context Clues.

Also on Monday, the students picked groups (except for one class had assigned groups) and began working on characters, setting, and plot diagrams for the play they are writing later. Mrs. J explained the requirements for the play very well. The students began working without many problems.

The play requirements are:
1. At least 5-10 minutes long
2. At least one SPEAKING part per group member
3. Minimum of 2 Acts
4. Decide on setting (define clearly)
5. Minimum of 15 stage directions
6. Plot diagram for brainstorming (must be turned in with final project)
7. Written script (copy to teacher for performance day)
8. MUST perform for class
9. Keep it PG-13 (no R rated plays)

The students really seemed to like the idea. Some of them began coming up with great things!

On Tuesday, my last day, I taught all three classes. I used the lesson plan I had developed. It really went better than I expected. I really thought I might pass out considering I was going to have to deal with some terrible discipline issues during the lesson. All 3 classes have students who spend more time in ISS/OSS than they spend in class. (It's really sad, but that's probably why they are failing English and have to be in the High School Success class!)

I had a list of 10 journal topics, and I asked the teacher to pick the one she thought would work the best. The journal prompt was, "Imagine yourself in 10 years. Where are you? What are you doing? Who of you current friends is still around?" Some of the students wrote over a page about it. Some only made a list of 4-5 items and I had to "convince" them to write actual sentences.

The lesson itself was really fun. I used an excerpt of "Pygmalion" (George Bernard Shaw) that they had already read and discussed and I showed them the clip from "My Fair Lady" that matched it. We re-read the excerpt first. We discussed how using words/grammar can make a picture in the reader's mind. Then we watched the clip. I asked them questions about the differences. It was one of the Strategies from Image Grammar.

The last 30 minutes of class (of course, as always) was study hall. The students worked on their plays in groups again. In 1st period, I finished up my work with my case study participant. She did improve her fluency some just by doing a couple of strategies that I gave her. However, I was a little disappointed that she did not finish the vocabulary strategy I offered.

So now, I have to write up my Clinical Action Research Project, my Case Study, my final Observation Reflection, and finish my Unit Plan.

This semester at MPHS has been very interesting to say the least.

Clinical Observations #5

This week was VERY short. Because of a teacher workday on Monday and Election Day on Tuesday, school was out until Wednesday. There were only 3 days this week. Honestly, I really do feel like I got nothing accomplished, but I know I did.

This week, I worked on finding some things I would include in my Unit that I'm planning. The Literature Books at the school really do not have a lot in them. Teachers have to pull from many outside sources since the books do not provide much help....unless you are going to do 2-5 days units.

In class this week, the students did an activity on Monday to get their brains thinking again....since they had been away for 5 days! They did some brain teasers that were really good.

Then, the classes did another quiz and practice on Infinitives and Prepositional Phrases like last week. Mrs. J told them that if they can pass, they can stop doing these. I think most of them tried a little harder this time. They did seem to take a little more time with it anyways.

They also did an introduction to drama. In their English I classes, the students are going to be going into drama. So, Mrs. J did an intro. into how to read plays for them. They have a book that tells strategies for how to read different types of print/non-print texts. It has most everything from websites to newspaper articles to classified ads to drama.

The students took notes on how to read plays on Wednesday. On Thursday, Mrs. J wasn't there. So the sub had them read a play (which was the plan anyways). Then the students had to choose one of the strategies for reading a play and do it. BUT...they could only use their OWN notes. So...some of them had nothing to look at because they had not done their notes on Wed. I love the play (part of a book from what I have been told) that the students read. It's called "The Sideways Stories from Wayside School" (by Louis Sachar). If you have never heard of it, like I hadn't, you need to check it out. It is really cute and funny.

On Thursday, I also gave some reading and vocabulary strategies to my Case Study participant. She did not bring them back on Friday, but I did ask her to make sure I have them on Monday.

On Friday, Mrs. J did fluency testing on all the students. She tries to test them every week, but with Nov. here, it might be more difficult. They only have ONE full week for the entire month.

Next week, will be my final week of observations. I am hoping to collect my case study materials from the student. I am going to be teaching on Tuesday. I have already completed the hours required, but I needed to be there for the Lesson Plan and Case Study, so I have been going for the past couple weeks.

I am looking forward to teaching next week. However, I did not get to be very imaginative in my lesson plan. I am using an Image Grammar strategy. I'm doing their spelling words for the week (5 of them anyways). I have a journal that I'm going to collect from them (and help them with and let them share). Then they are going to have the last 30 minutes or so of class for study hall (which is required for this class). So I did not have to stretch much at all for this lesson. Which...to me...personally....is unfortunate. However, I will have plenty of stretching to do next semester in my Student Teaching! :)

Clinical Observation #4

This week was a 4 day week. The students were out on Friday so that the teachers could get all the grades completed and into the computer. Obviously, this was great for the students. :)

Last week, I gave the Case Study permission form to the student I chose to work with. On Monday, she returned it to me. So on Tuesday, I interviewed her and did her formal assessment for the case study. Right now, I'm working on strategies to give her and ways to improve her fluency (reading level).

The students took quizzes in this class every day this week. The only reason they had to take one every day was because they continued to fail the quizzes...everyday. First, Mrs. J gave them a practice sheet (almost an exact copy of the quiz). The students could work together, ask questions, or whatever they needed to. Then, when they turned it in and she looked over it, they were given the quiz. The quiz was only about 5 sentences they had to mark as Prepositional Phrases or Infinitives. Then they had to correct the sentences for punctuation and meaning. Every day, the students would get enough wrong out of the 5 questions that they had to do it again.

For a couple days this week, the students worked on Study Guides for their English I classes. One English I class is on "The Necklace" and the other is working on "The Cask of Amontillado".

Next week is only going to be a 3 day week. (I'm going to feel like I got nothing accomplished by the end of the week; I'm sure!) I will be finishing my lesson plan to teach the following week. I will be working on and giving some strategies to my Case Study participant. I think I will get it all done in only 3 days.

Clinical Observations #3

On Friday of last week, I met with Mrs. S. She and I went over the things I need to accomplish in my Clinicals/Obervations this semester. When I started talking about the Clinical Case Study, she said "Did Mr. C know this when he placed you in here? I can't believe he'd put you with me for this." So, as it turns out, the Seniors aren't reading a lot be cause of the Senior Graduation Project. However, both of her English III classes are Honors classes. So, she said she would ask around and let me know what they decided I should do to find a student for the Case Study.

On Monday of this week, Mrs. S emailed me to tell me that I will now be working with Mrs. J for my Clinicals/Observations and my Case Study. So I sent an email to Mrs. J and I met with her on Tuesday afternoon. (She has 4th period planning.) She teaches a class called High School Success. The students in the class have either failed English I already, are in danger of failing this semester (and were put in the class after progress reports) or scored low enough on the Eighth Grade English EOC that they are at-risk of not passing English I. All the students in her class read on about a 4th grade level. There are a couple on a 6th or 7th grade level. So there are plenty of students to choose from! :)

This class basically helps to get the students prepared to pass English. There are 3 30 minute session in the class. That's how it's planned anyways. Some days it is different. The students work on vocabulary, grammar, test prep tips/tricks, English homework, quizzes, and assignments. They also have 30 minutes of Study Hall where they can work on any of their homework or assignments.

Every week, they have 15 spelling works. These are commonly misspelled words. This week, some of the words were "personal", "personnel", "ninth", and "manufacture".

On Wednesday I was introduced to the classes. I sat in the back and just observed everything. On Thursday, during her teaching time, Mrs. J split the class into two groups. In every class, I had the opportunity to work with one group. I had to help them understand and analyze poems in the EOC Review books. After they read them, they had to answer 6-8 questions about them. So when they didn't understand something, I would ask them questions to lead them to the understanding. I never gave them the answers. :) (I was excited to get to help them this way!) On Friday, they had their English I benchmark test, so instead of having them have a hard studying day, Mrs. J let the class have a "Mad Gab" tournament. The students had to use things they know about words/sounds in English to figure out the answers. It was very interesting.

I have picked a student with whom I want to work for the Case Study. However, I sent the Permission Form home with her on Thursday. She did not return it on Friday. So, I am hoping to get it back from her tomorrow.

I will be back in the classroom for more observations this week.