So I ordered my two textbooks for this class like the day after they were posted in August and the tracking keeps changing and apparently they will arrive tomorrow. However, I no longer believe anything Amazon.com tells me so we shall see. So I obviously do not yet have the Takaki readings complete but I've been doing the other readings on-line and looking at other blogs of class members. When I get the book, I do plan on marking it up. I don't like reading without a highlighter in my hand...it just doesn't feel right!
I am placed at a Public Charter School in D.C. called SAIL (School for Arts in Learning). I am in a second grade classroom with Ms. Jamey and Ms. Clara and love it so far, though I am finding it quite challenging! On Thursday I broke up three fist fights...quite impressed with myself :). So besides the behavior problems, we actually have been getting some work done. However, no social studies yet. It seems to me that D.C. really just cares about math and reading. We haven't even gotten to the math yet...we've just been giving the students reading assessments. I did speak to the teacher about social studies though. It is usually taught once or twice a week in centers for about 30 minutes. Because we haven't done any social studies, I haven't been able to apply what I have learned but I have been able to apply some of the classroom management skills we have worked on so far in our education program. I'm definitely looking forward to what this semester holds!
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I can't believe you have not gotten your text yet! I'm also surprised your school has not even gotten to math. Just from hearing your description though, I see some major differences between a 5th grade classroom and a 2nd grade classroom. My 5th grade classroom only had to do one reading assessment to judge their comprehension skills. My elementary school also knows the students pretty well by now, so they are aware of who needs the extra help and who doesn't. I can't believe you broke up three fights! Some of the 5th graders are my size, so I don't even know what I would do if my classroom had a fight. Time to get ready for a long day of classes! See you in a few hours!
ReplyDeleteI didn't get my book either by the time class started, but I finally have it now. I'm the same way with highlighting--I probably do it too much which kind of defeats the purpose of it.
ReplyDeleteI feel like you're going to have the most interesting stories at your school. It's probably a good thing that your classroom has 3 adults in it--seems like one teacher alone wouldn't be able to handle it. Even though I haven't started yet, it seems like it's fairly common to not have social studies during the first few weeks because teachers are trying to get a hold on classroom management.
Be sure to reflect on your own learning in this class, as well as in your practicum. Also, think about what themes can be woven into each day. Try not to think of social studies as just a break out, or in terms of how many times a week it is scheduled. Look for opportunities to weave it in as you watch your cooperating teacher.
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