Word of the Day: AAAHHH!!!

"Yeah...today was wonderful..."

I drew this after work one day last year.  I think it perfectly embodies the events of a regular day in the life of a teacher.

Ready for Take-off...I think!

"Now, what am I forgetting?"

This Thursday, I have my very first lesson plan due for the Unit Plan project in my favorite class, Teaching Children and Adolescents with Special Needs.  This is not just any lesson plan.  It's what Professor Ezell calls a Driving Test lesson plan.  It includes things that all teachers should know and understand for planning, but usually don't need to use; it's much like a driving test, where students show that they can perform lots of tasks with a car, even though they usually only drive in a straight line.

In my attempt to do my best this semester in stead of the disgusting slacking that I've been giving for the past few years, I have gone crazy with this assignment.  In fact, I can't believe how in depth I'm getting into this project.  But I suppose part of the reasoning for is the fact that it's so much FUN!  My unit;s focus is astronomy, and I am including lots of adaptations for children who are blind or deaf, in addition to those with learning disability, limited English proficiency, and other challenges.  While I am currently setting up the materials for the first lesson, I still have quite a ways to go.  

I am surprised at the number of web sites that address this issue, and have found a few that offer some useful information and resources.

Ozone Publishing- A company specializing in tactile books

http://www.ozonepublishing.net/home.htm

You Can Do Astronomy- A web site dedicated to space-science education for people with disabilities 

(http://www.youcandoastronomy.com/)

An Astronomy Book for the Blind- An NPR story about a tactile book of Hubble Space Telescope photographs

Junior Achievement

A part of my EDG 4410 grade is to donate service hours during which I teach or tutor. To give us a hand, our professor linked us up with reps from our local Junior Achievement chapter. I'm a day late in contacting my teachers, first graded Kindergarten.

Yesterday, we received our packs filled with necessary supplies to present the program to the classes we were matched with. I was suprised by all the STUFF in there! It's so cute! Play money, play debit cards, certificates for every child, and even fridge magnets with a frame in the middle. So cool!

It's like a little flimsy-plastic treasure chest of materials, all for teaching kids about the way money affects our lives. It's smart to start teaching kids early about the ways of money, not so that they can develop a miserly personality, but so that they can learn where its place is and how to use it to have the best life possible. I can't wait to start!

Circle Maps

As a part of my Foundations of Reading Class (RED 3012) we have been introduced to several strategies that will help our students with reading comprehension. So my eyes are always open to strategies for my collection.

Well, today I happened upon the FDLRS (Florida Diagnostic and Learning Resources System) site. FDLRS offers information, training, and resources to educators of all kinds. One particular area of the site caught my attention. Thinking Maps are simply graphic organizers used to help students make visual and spatial connections between pieces of information. But, what I like about this site is that it gives photographic examples of actual student work. This is uncommon because there are laws restricting the use of actual student work without direct consent of a legal guardian. So, most teachers simply don't bother uploading students' work.

One particular photograph showed how the teacher had designed an assignment using a Circle Map. In the innermost circle, the student wrote a vocabulary term. The outer section of the circle was divided into quarters. In the quarter, the students placed the definition of the word. In the seond, they wrote some synonyms and antonyms. In the bottom quarter, they used the term correcly in a sentence. And in the last quarter, they drew a picture representing the definition of the term. On the outer skirts of the page, outside of the circle, the students placed the title of the lesson, the word list from which the term was taken, the name of the of book they used to find their synonyms and antonyms, and finally, the source of their visual connection.

Circle maps could be a super way to explore vocabulary with English Language Learners. It will give them visual reminders of terms and their meaning. But it could also be used for students with exceptionalities by helping them make the same visual connection. Another way the Circle Map was used was in providing a structure in which gifted children placed number sentences that would equal the centered number. What a super idea.

The possibilities of Thinking Maps extened beyond the boundaries of time. Accordingly, I plan to keep this idea in mind for later. It's very cool, very simple, and I think it could be very effective.

A Brief Introduction

School is no easy place. Taking a full-load of classes, and working full-time is no easy job, to say the least. Sometimes, I can't believe I'm even doing it. But, by the grace of God, I'm doing just that.

Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Retinna. I'm 29 years old, and enjoy being alive. Life is a place in time where we showcase who re truly are. From the mostundamental fibers of my being, I am a creative mind. Poetry, stories, books, art objects, performance...I love it all.

Amazingly, I also LOVE my job. I work at a nearby elementary school as an Instructional Assistant, and I work primarily with students who have exceptionalities. Through this job, I am a rpient of a grant through the school board which pays for school board employees to receive a college degree in an educational field where there is a critical shortage of teachers. My chosen field is Exceptional Student Education. This is an area for children who have special needs, whether it be in the ways they receive instruction, the physical setting, or any other need they may have. Teaching is the only field in which I can use all of my talents and abilities while also helping others. It's really a dream come true.

Part of my grades for this semester have to do with reflective journalising. While I did try doing this on paper, it wasn't working well. I lost pages, I couldn't find ccurate categories for my entries, and I was just buggered by the whole thing. So, here is a place for collecting my thoughts and ideas that I might otherwise loose. I hope that they can be an inspiration for someone else, and that they help others to see the importance of teachers in the lives of everyone. ;^)

Reading Professional Notebook

A part of our grade in RED 3012 is based on our creating a Reading Professional Notebook. Today, I made sure that I had at least most of everything I'd need in my notebook. Monday, September 22nd, is when our instructor will check my notebook and several other students' to make sure that we have all of the required parts, and to make sure that they are at a professional level.

The notebook is divided into several sections, each of which must be clearly tabbed for easy access. First, we place a table of contents which notes what's inside. Next comes a complete syllabus for the course. After this we have a print-out of Florida's Reading Endorsement Competencies, followed by the Florida Reading and Language Arts Standards for the a specific grade level. I chose 3rd grade.

The second part of the notebook consists of a more involved set of documents, exercises and reflections that we don't simply print, but actually create. The first of these is our Strategic Reading Log. Within this log we place information about ourselves as readers. First, we tell about our own personal goals as a reader. Second, we tell about books we've read, books we've read with others, and books that have been read to us. This is an excellent reading journal format because kids can include books read by the teacher in class and books read within a small group. So, no matter a kid's reading level, they can still feel as if they are a reader by including numerous titles in their log.

Next in the Strategic Reading Log is a section for the strategies that we've learned. After this is our word collection. For this, we write a word we don't know or aren't sure of, and then we give its definition, etymology, and draw a picture. Rather than simply using clip-art or other ready-made images, Professor Williams stresses that it's important to have the students to be as involved in the process as possible. If they are simply pasting pictures they found, this is not as meaningful as if they create the picture on their own. Last in our SRL are our Tickets Out. Before we leave each class, we are to draw a picture of a ticket. Inside, we are to write something that we learned in class. This helps us remember what we've just discussed, and provides a record to review later.

The next section of our notebook is devoted to containifacts. Reflections, quizzes, assignments, and our own lesson plans are all tobe included in this section.

Finally, we have a place just for course handouts. Many people don't quite grasp the importance of course handouts. But if your professor takes the time to put it together, and uses their limited allotment for the number of copies that can make, and they give one to you and every other student in your class...

I spent hours setting it up as perfectly as I could. I certainly hope it was worth the time and effort. It's times like this that I most appreciate the word of Dr. Ezzell: "[Comfort yourself in what you've learned, rather than the grade you get.]"