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Week 4 Practicum 2

This week went by so fast! I was able to complete all of my lessons in the unit but was crunched for time.  The final project (culminating task) was assembling a book made up of all the assignments done throughout the unit.  The cover of their book was a print that they made inspired by Norvsl Morrissuea. The books ended up looking great, but the lesson was a bomb.  I learned that grade 5 and 6 students don't know how to keep track of their stuff. Note to self: in the future collect all work after each assignment. 

Practicum 2 Week 3

One of the classes I'm teaching is a 2/3 dance class for prep payback.  I find this experience useful, having the chance to teach a grade I have little experience teaching.  I enjoy the age and although at times the classroom management is challenging it's giving me the opportunity to develop new methods for classroom management.  These skills have transfered into my 5/6 classroom and become useful for saving time and getting work done! 

Week 2 Practicum 2

I feel more comfortable teaching my unit on aboriginal studies now that I've researched and developed my lessons.  I find the topic highly interesting and my students are reacting to the lessons with the same level of interest.  I'm struggling with my lesson on poetry, but learning a lot about grade 5/6 struggles with creative thinking.  I broke down the idea of poetic phrasing by having the students sit on the carpet with a white board and a marker.  With a partner I gave them a word (for example "pen") and they transformed the word to a poetic phrase, for example, this is not a pen this is a tool that transfers my emotions and thoughts onto paper for others to understand my view of the world.  They surprised me with their poetic responses.  Amazing!

Week 1 practicum 2

The first week felt slightly uncomfortable, having not taught for a while and being expected to teach a unit on a subject matter I'm uneducated in.  However, the first lesson taught went well and within minutes I felt comfortable. My class is well behaved and enthusiastic about my lessons.  I have ran into few challenges so far, but my main challenge will be the space.  I am determined to teach art in a portable with no sink and one table for supplies.  

Week 3

Week 3 was the best so far.  I know all the students' names, know their strengths and weaknesses, and am becoming more emotionally attached.  This is making me sad about the thought of leaving.  I would love to work at a school like this one day, where are is incorporated into all the subjects.  Even science is taught through the arts.  I'm teaching an art class on surrealism, where they are keeping a dream journal, and making art based on two random words selected from a hat.  I showed them a clip of one of my favourite surrealist films "Le Chien Andolou," for obvious reasons (if you know the film) I couldn't show them the whole thing.  The fact that they loved the film and wanted to keep watching it made the lesson a success to me.  The film is from 1929, and I would think it would be semi-boring for this age group, but they loved it.  Their art is in preparation for their field trip to the AGO to see Chagall, I really wish I could be there with them to see their reactions to surrealist art, especially after the lesson I've taught them on surrealism. 

YUK