Literature circles in Ms. Scott's 2nd grade

Hello all,

I was very impressed today with the literature circles that were being formed in second grade (two of the classes).  Ms. Scott and another 2nd grade teacher, Ms. Thomson, are working together with all of their students combined.  For 25 minutes everyday, students are divided into smaller literature groups and assigned to an adult.  With the two teachers, assistants, and reading specialists, the children are able to be in groups of 7-8 and have an adult all to themselves.  I thought this was an amazing opportunity for both the teacher and the students because the students were able to get more individual attention, while the teachers were able to assess and gain more knowledge about each student. I am anxious to see how these smaller group literature circles play out for the rest of the semester!

Today, before literature circle that is, I worked individually with the student that I am going to pick for my kidwatching observation.  I have been working with him since the first day that I was at University.  It is nice to see him open up to me and feel more comfortable being himself.  Today I felt like we accomplished a lot by writing his "Magic Leaf" story.  He seemed very proud once he finished the piece of writing, as I did too!

In our E340 class, I have really enjoyed teaching the lessons that I prepared (or my group). Though it is very different teaching in front of our peers in placement for our future students, I have found it very helpful in guiding me to be more comfortable speaking out loud and in public.  These lessons have also helped in boosting my self-confidence.  I think going through the process of constructing our own lesson plans has helped immensely because it allows us to gain more knowledge of the entire process.

--Marisa