5th Week of Second Grade

This week was the week that wouldn't end.  The students were excellent, but the week seemed like it lasted forever.  I believe that it was probably because Thanksgiving break was so close, but so far away.  This week the students had a new schedule.  The students completed the Unit 2 test instead of reading a story from their reading books.  I found that my second grade class does not like standardized tests which is obviously no surprise.  The students told me that taking standardized tests are boring, and that they would rather be on their regular reading and language arts schedule.  

I can't believe the difference between first grade and second grade students.  In my Walk to Tiers class I have six first graders and the rest are second graders.  The first graders struggle to follow along during read aloud,  have a hard time turning homework in on time, and are usually the last to participate during classroom discussion.  I'm concerned that some of the concepts covered during my tiers class may be too much for first grade students.  The cso's are for second grade and not first grade.  However, I don't want to make the content easier because I believe that my second grade students are benefitting from the concepts covered.  

This week my students have been learning about the first Thanksgiving.  They have been learning about the first Thanksgiving and the Pilgrims by creating a pocket booklet.  The booklet includes lots of information about the Mayflower, Plymouth Rock, the first Thanksgiving, etc.  I can definitely see myself using this booklet in my future classrooms.  

4th Week In Second grade

I can't believe how fast the past twelve weeks have flown by.  The experiences that I have had in the classroom this semester have been wonderful.  I enjoy learning new teaching strategies, classroom management techniques, and creative ideas on a daily basis.  My biggest concern is that I haven't experienced a classroom with multiple learning disabilities and behavioral disorders.  The classrooms that I have been in for the most part have been filled with excellent students.  I worry that my future classrooms won't be so perfect, and that I will be struggling to meet the needs of several students with learning and behavioral disorders.  

This week I am saddened by the hateful acts that have happened at Rivesville Elementary School.  I feel sorry for all of the faculty and staff members at Rivesville.  The faculty and staff members work so hard to provide an exceptional education for their students, and in return money and computers are being stolen from the school.  I wish that the culprits are found and that justice is served.  

After I take the PLT on Saturday, I need to focus on writing my contract narrative and writing lesson plans for next week.  I have enjoyed my experiences this semester, but I can't wait to go home to be with my family for Thanksgiving.  

3rd Week in Second Grade

My third week of second grade has been wonderful.  I believe that I have found the perfect grade level for me.  The kindergarten students were a blast, but I felt like I had no energy when I left school everyday.  The students in second grade can already write, read, understand multiple directions, and most importantly they can tie their shoes.  Fourth and fifth grade was a great experience, but there was too much petty drama between the students.  The students in Mrs. Morris' classroom all seem to get along quite well.  I actually have never seen students so excited to help their peers with an assignment.  

It's a little overwhelming the amount of subjects that are expected to be in taught in second grade.  I will really need to work on my time management skills when I begin my full time teaching.  I'm nervous that the first couple of days that I will spend too much time on lessons that shouldn't take that long.  I wish just like every other teacher that we could teach Social Studies and Science on a regular basis.  I'm blown away by the heavy load of curriculum that young elementary students are expected to know by the end of the year.  I remember having multiple recesses when I was in elementary school.  I can't imagine the pressure teachers have to cover all of the csos required by the state.  

2nd Week of Second Grade

This week I was in charge of walk to tiers.  Tiers is only a half hour of the school day.  During this time I read "How To Eat Fried Worms"  by Thomas Rockwell and the students participated in fun activities related to the story.  Mrs. Morris did an activity that I believe the students will definitely remember years from now.  Last week, she brought in hotdogs and had the students pretend they were worms.  The students were encouraged to dip their "worms" into various condiments just like the boy did in the story.  I watched the students and could tell that they had a great time pretending to eat worms.  This lesson has inspired me to try to make each lesson exciting so that the students want to participate.  Tomorrow, I will finish reading the story, and we will celebrate by eating a mud dessert with gummy worms.  Walk to tiers is a valuable half hour out of the school day and my goal is to make the most out of that time.  This week I will be introducing a new unit.  I will be teaching the students about United States symbols.  Each day the students will learn about a new symbol.  By the end of the two week unit the students will have a booklet which will contain nine major symbols that represent the United States.  This will be my first time teaching a Social Studies unit for two weeks.  I hope that the students will find the lessons to be interesting and not boring.  I can honestly say that I never enjoyed Social Studies in elementary school.  

I loved being able to celebrate Halloween with my second grade class.  I was happy to see that every child was laughing and smiling.  The homeroom parents were so kind and put on a wonderful Halloween party for the students.