Fall Break Party

Today my second grade class was celebrating fall (fall break tomorrow).  We had a blast doing a bat diagram while enjoying our yummy snacks.  The best part of the party was that a "bat expert" came into the class to share.  We learned about various types of bats and their habitats, what they ate, and we even saw real bat guano (bat poop).  The children were very interested in the topic because they have been learning about bats all week. 

Lauren and I participated in an activity which demonstrated echolocation.  Half of the class were bats and the other half were mosquitoes.  It was a fun activity that taught us useful information about how bats find their food.

My favorite part of E339 today was when we divided into groups and acted as one of the characters from "Voices In The Park".  I was able to interact with some people that I never had the chance to before and we all had a great time sharing ideas.  It was fun to pretend we were Victoria and act the way that we thought she would.

I am anxious to finish my research project and share it with the class next week!

Marisa

Challanges and Positive Experiences

Hello classmates,

Yesterday during our visit at University, I did a lot of individual work with my child who I am kidwatching.  Ms. Scott gave me 2 work samples (one that I could keep and one that I observed) from my child.  Both were very beneficial to look over.  The first piece I looked at was a word search but the challenging part of the word search was that my child had to do it for homework and recall detail from a story that was read in class.  He had a difficult time recalling information from the story when he was at home and had a hard time completing the homework.  The other piece that I got to take with me was a copy of a journal entry.  This valuable tool shows me what strengths and weaknesses he has with writing skills.  I was able to guide him in completing this journal piece about pioneers which gives me great information about his writing process.

During our reflection time at University, my group did a yarm activity with the entire class.  The object of the activity was for everyone of our classmates to share something that has challenged them during our time at Unviersity or a positive experience that they have shared at University.  This activity went over very well and it was very enjoyable to hear everybodys voice and stories.

Yesterday was a great day, especially making our genres in class!

--Marisa

Mrs. Mori's 4th Grade Class

I thought yesterday was a great experience in Mrs. Mori's 4th grade class.  I was impressed with how well she captured the students attention during writers workshop.  I enjoyed working with the student that I was partnered with.  He seemed to love talking about the topics that we were brainstorming.  I felt that he warmed up to me right away.  The story that we started was about the last time he saw his fish.  It was actually pretty comical because he had two fish but the bigger fish ended up eating the smaller fish, which only left him with one feisty fish.  One of the main goals for writers workshop yesterday was to use BIG DETAILS so we both had a great time adding details to such a fun story.

From working in Mrs. Mori's class during writers workshop, I was able to see how well it works with students.  Even having the students pair up and share ideas (when the extra adult help isn't available) is a wonderful way for students to brainstorm ideas for writing.  

I think it is important that the students in her class have to write in their notebooks for 15 minutes a night.  I also like that she does not correct anything in their notebooks.  This is their own place to write anything they want.

..Kidwatching..

Hello class,

I wanted to start off my post today with answering Linda's questions from last week.  Yesterday, I worked a lot with the student who I am kidwatching and I made some distinctive observations about his writing.  While we were working on his writing piece about The Sun, I noticed that he has a vast imagination and is very creative.  Even though he has difficulties with his spelling, his imagination shines through his writing.  I also have noticed the less I say, they better he uses his creativity.  I have learned from just the couple of weeks that I have worked with him that If I say something, he will just write it down.  He produces much better work when I just guide him through his writing.  I have noticed that he has trouble spelling and doesn't have the most confidence in spelling, but he has been improving with his motives and has been trying harder to sound the words out.

I felt like Lauren and I helped a lot in Ms. Scotts second grade class yesterday.  We were able to help multiple students with their writing pieces.  I am enjoying the second grade atmosphere more and more every week.

--Marisa