Elem Social Studies 13 (Molly)

Yay we made it! I’m so glad I got through this class, it feels great to finally finish. I learned a lot of valuable lessons from this class, but my favorite aspect of it was the collaborative work. I really enjoyed meeting new people from my literature group and sticking with them for the rest of the semester. If I hadn’t been paired with those folks, I probably would’ve never met them..which would’ve been a shame because they are wonderful. I feel like I got a better idea on how to lesson plan, analyze primary source documents, and model for students. Thanks for a great semester!

I thought todays class was insightful. I have never deeply thought about what it would be like to teach difficult topics in the classroom, but it is a very real issue that I am going to face. I liked the metaphor Lynne used by comparing the world to a salad instead of a mixing pot. I think that that would be a great exercise to begin the class with..to celebrate students differences and make it known that we practice respect towards one another. The information at the end of the class about sending home notes to parents about exactly what the teacher will be diving into and running it by the principal was extremely helpful. One of the exercises I enjoyed the most was using the big white paper to write possible questions students may ask about difficult subjects. I am also grateful for the handouts about teaching challenging subjects and teaching tolerance. My favorite quote was, “honest dialogue can lead to increased understanding and compassion for the human experience.” Moving forward, I can use my vulnerabilities, strengths, and needs to become a more effective teacher and facilitate difficult conversations.

Sick 🙁 LMK if I can make this up.

Molly

Missed 🙁

Today’s class was great. First, I really enjoyed the talk about children’s literature and how books need to be examined for biases and any inappropriate nature. Before Dr. Stohr mentioned her friend’s blog site about the negative portrayal of Indians in children’s literature, I hadn’t even noticed the racist pictures of them in the books I scanned about George Washington and Benjamin Franklin. That just shows how accustomed I am, as a white female, to seeing racists images in my daily life..so much so that I have never even thought about how American Indians are portrayed. Nevertheless, I was happy that this lesson brought that realization to life. I now know how incredibly important it is to actually read the books you put into your classroom so that you are not accidentally choosing materials that target specific groups or make students feel uncomfortable.

Regarding the lesson plans, I think next week will be better since we have had a discussion about the assignment and will have a group discussion/hear other peoples ideas. I am excited to see what next week brings.

I am so glad to be finished with Jamestown! YAY. Nevertheless, I thought Blood on the River and 1607 were fascinating. The thing I appreciated most about both books was that they were honest about the unsettling way Jamestown became America’s birthplace. I also enjoyed the activities that followed our groups presentation. As Kelly stated, I appreciated that we could work with our hands and examine the documents with our groups.

The best thing I took from today’s lesson was the information about the lesson plans. I know that I mentioned that I think the classes would benefit from a hard copy perfect example of what the professors are looking for in a good lesson plan, but the feedback ya’ll gave about the purpose of the lesson plan helped me understand. However, I have also been very discouraged during the entire process. I worked really hard on this lesson plan and it was the worst grade I have ever received. I think the lesson plan format could be adjusted to not be so negative for students. Honestly, it makes me worried about my future as a teacher and my confidence is at an all time low. I appreciated the idea of everyone working on a single lesson plan generated in class and working to improve it. The most helpful tip I took was that I literally need to spell things out in the lesson plan. I’m hopeful that I can get better at this process moving forward.

I missed the blog before Spring Break and even though I know this post = 0 credit, I still wanted to give my thoughts on Tuesday’s class.

I actually thought that the class two weeks ago was one of the most helpful classes I have taken at the University. Most of the time, I feel like the TL program idealizes teaching and it’s always been hard for me to think about how the lessons will be implemented in an actual classroom. So, having the two kindergarten teachers come in and reflect on a DBQ unit was fascinating and incredibly helpful. Previously, my only experience with DBQ’s was in my AP History class in high school. They were used as our sole test method and I actually quite enjoyed looking at documents and creating thesis’ + essays from them. What I thought was truly amazing was that these women took a somewhat difficult concept and molded it for 6 year olds. I was also grateful that the presenters were kindergarten teachers because throughout the program, we have never spoken to anyone that targets the youngest age group. Most importantly, I enjoyed this activity because it made me excited about teaching. Personally, it has been hard not to feel burned out after 18 years of school and being able to talk to women who are actually in the teaching profession and using the techniques that we are learning in class gives me more hope for the future.

When I heard that our class was going to the VMFA, I was excited because I had never had a guided tour there or considered it for a student or whole grade field trip.

LIKES: I enjoyed seeing the bottom level student space. I thought that that interactive room would be great space for groups of children to explore and learn. I also enjoyed the virtual learning lesson of the program. I thought the woman who was communicating with us over the speakers was knowledgable and did an excellent job prompting questions. I believe that using that technology would intrigue students and get them to ask a lot of questions they had never considered before.

DISLIKES: Personally, I thought the first tour guide was incredibly boring. I think that wonder questions are great for kids, but I have noticed that sometimes the activities people demonstrate for us are run into the ground. After seven times of hearing, “what do you wonder?” it kind of gets old. I think it’s a tough challenge to model things to adults that are meant for children (i.e. keeping the same level of engagement). The second part of the technology experience was also hard to get through. We spent 30 minutes watching the guide click through links on the website, and for me, that was boring. I just feel like the time could have been utilized so that we could have seen more first hand items in the museum and learned more information.

In general, I compared this trip to our 2 science outings at the buildings in U of R last semester. I so enjoyed seeing the facilities that U of R had and I think the tour guides did a great job at treating us like adults, but at the same time showing us how to cater to our future children. Again, I think it’s tough to model activities meant for children to adults. All in all, I was really disappointed with the VMFA trip and thought that the tour guides could have been more engaging and provided more information/activities.

This was the first class that I thought the literature circles seemed repetitive. I think that If I were younger I may enjoy the structure more, but I’ve found the assigned roles monotonous and the continued circles boring. I wish we could have an open discussion about the book instead of the guided assignment (because we are adults). And I know that what I’m stating is sort of the job of the discussion director, but I wish the entire process could be more free flowing. I understand how this wouldn’t work for young children but I think we could have more interesting/in depth discussions with less roles to go over.

Regarding the sort, I was finally confused with how to put the words together even though I knew what most of them meant individually. I thought it was interesting how our group usually flies through word sorts and we are all on the same page…but we were stumped! Probably because Abby was gone 🙁

I LOVED taking the assessments…even if they were bad. Taking tests is my favorite thing in the world and we hardly ever do it in grad school. I learned a lot about how to construct a clear, effective assessment. There were so many things that I did not know affected how students test and the packet with tips was extremely helpful.

I HATED the last assignment. If I were to remake this assessment I would write an actual question where “question” was bolded. I think the way that the statement was phrased and the do you agree or disagree was placed below it was horrible! I would most definitely use a rubric/assessment like this in the future but completely alter the format to make the assignment easier to process.

A lot of people were upset that last class we were told that the first lesson plan due was the biography. Several students mentioned to me that they had already started and were kind of thrown off about the subject of the lesson plan. I do agree that even though we discussed HOW to write a strong lesson plan, we did not discuss what our first one was going to be about.

This was the first class at the University of Richmond that got me excited about writing a lesson plan. I am not even sure if excited is the right word, but I feel more confident about the upcoming assignment. I really liked that we were able to see such a seasoned teacher conduct a lesson. Before this, I never understood the concept of a lesson plan, especially in the U of R format, and this video gave me a much better understanding of it. I also liked the film because it was very relatable and the teacher seemed respectful, caring, and intelligent. Writing down what I saw in the lesson plan template as the video progressed also helped me visualize and figure out how the lesson plan process actually works.

As I expressed to you earlier, lesson planning has always been something that has weighed heavily on me throughout my time in the program. It was very emotional to finally understand how to write one. I really want to be proactive for my first lesson plan so I can get feedback along the way and not feel like I am scrambling to put together something I’m not proud of at the last minute.

Regarding the activities we participated in in class, I appreciated how they mirrored Mrs. Wicketts’. I would 100% use every activity in my future class because they not only engaged the students, but they taught them new information and reinforced it.

I have been so nervous to become a teacher because I have been extremely worried about how I am going to teach my children. I know that I will love and respect them, but I also want them to learn things from me. I think today’s lesson was a huge step for me and has helped me think in a different way.

I’m looking forward to becoming more skilled and learning how to write and adapt lesson plans for children.

 

Thank you for a listening ear and today’s lesson!