I had my third observation today and it went ok. It was quick because my supervisor was late. I started my lesson on main ideas with a video and then we went through a quick activity on the Smartboard. Then I pulled a guided reading group. The group went well – it was my first time meeting with them – but they were pretty squirmy. I know I need to develop some strategies to keep them in their seats better while we work. It was a good little book to read through and the story spinner worked well. It is a spinner that we can use – each students spins and then answers a question about the book (setting, characters, ending, beginning, problem, etc).
This afternoon I did a word sort, making meaning (comprehension), a jeopardy game, read aloud, and fair shares in math. The word sort and making meaning and jeopardy all went very well. I had them write the word sort words in their journals today instead of having them come up to the Smartboard directly. This worked because they were all focused on something. I think the next time I do it, I will either have a pre-made worksheet for them to fill out, or I will have us all write it in our journals together, all at the same time. Some students fell behind and they were worried that they weren’t keeping up.
I had them put their journals back and take a lap around the room to come back for making meaning. I put them into partners and we first talked about how they talk when they talk to partners. They showed me how they sit and how they whisper to partners. We then read through the book again and I asked them a few questions to talk to their partners about. They did very well with that too.
Jeopardy worked really well today. I separated the class into 4 teams, and I kept the money in a “bank” up front. I was going to start them all with $500 each, but I knocked them down to $400 each when they were all talking. The group was, in general, really well-behaved, and I only had to fine two teams once or twice. At the end f the game, we counted each team’s money and I gave the money to someone on each team. I told them to try to divide it evenly among their team members. The group was good during most of the read aloud as well. The end of the read aloud and math began to get a little crazier. We talked about fair shares in math. I started our talking about the jeopardy money and how they split their prize money. I liked using that as a lead-in. We then did a few examples on the computer and they had a worksheet to complete. I let one student be “teacher” and run the Smartboard game. I didn’t realize that the game I had selected had a time limit for “free users” of the website, so after a certain amount of time, the game stopped. I had to quickly pull up an older game so they could keep going. Meanwhile, I was checking worksheets. That is hard to do because they all want to get up to the Smartboard and I can only check one at a time. Meanwhile, other students have questions and they keep coming up to me and asking their questions. It took many reminders that they need to stay in their seats, work quietly, and raise their hands for help. I called them back up to the board and they started to chat again and act very disappointed when I said the game was over. I asked them if they’d rather play that or Around the World. They got very excited about Around the World, but the game didn’t happen. They were very loud getting ready for the game, so I told them we wouldn’t be able to play. I explained to them that they needed to keep their self controls and because they weren’t able to, we couldn’t play. Instead, I had them clean up, pack up, and put their heads down on their desks. I dismissed them to recess when they were all settled down with their heads down.
After recess, the kids came in very loudly, and 3 girls came up to my CT and I in tears. Apparently one boy had punched and kicked them. We called all of them, along with the boy, up to talk. He apologized to them and they shook hands and agreed to be friends. My CT wrote a note home to the boy’s parents. He didn’t seem to have done it meanly, and he was upset that he hurt them. It sounded like a game that got out of control. I felt a little bad for him, as well as for the girls, but I think it worked out ok.
Finally, we had an uneventful computers class before dismissal. Overall, it was a good Thursday, and I felt good after teaching a pretty full day.
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