Today was our final day of practicum. It is a bitter sweet moment. I am saying goodbye to my first class but at the same time I am so excited to leave for Gold River and bring my knowledge there. These past months have taught me so much and I am so lucky to have had the experience that I did. I will always cherish these memories. The four KIPP teacher candidates. The last look at my classroom. A tree of all our fingerprints.
Starting from the beginning of May through to the end of my practicum I had the students engage in a note-taking unit. This unit was combined with a take-home assignment that they were to complete with their parents. The unit was to provide an easy transition from our habitat unit into our Canada unit. The students were to research Canadian animals, focusing on the habitat, the diet, the class of animal, where in Canada the animal lives, and unique characteristics about the animal. The students were given a web that…read more
A unit I started near the end of my practicum was force and motion. My school advisor wished for me to start the unit and she would continue it to the end of the year. One particular lesson to note was the lesson on gravity. I had the special person hold one end of a string. I attached the other end of the string high on the wall. I pulled a basket up to the top of the string. I let the basket go. I asked the students what happened…read more
As an end to our plant unit we create coffee filter butterflies. Materials: 23 coffee filters A permanent marker Washable markers Red solo cups Water Scissors Instructions: I coloured the “body” of the butterflies prior to the activity because the bodies needed to be coloured in permanent marker. I coloured both sides of the coffee filter on the seam. Then I gave the filters to the students to colour chunks of different colours that would “seep” throughout the coffee filter making different patterns. I pour about a cm of water…read more
During my practicum I had the opportunity to participate in a TOC day. This was a day in which I switched practicum classrooms with another teacher candidate from my cohort. I was able to completely switch grades and school districts. My practicum was in a North Vancouver school in a grade 1 classroom. My TOC day was in a Vancouver school in a grade 3 classroom. The teacher candidate left a detailed plan for me and her SA gave me the most authentic experience by leaving the classroom completely while…read more
As part of an attempt to fully integrate myself into the school community I helped coach the intermediate track and field team. Myself, along with another teacher candidate, were in charge of coaching the grade 5 track team. It was a new experience for both myself and the other teacher candidate as we had never coached before. However, it was amazing experience to learn how to build teams and coordinate practices. This experience also allowed me to get to know students in the older grades. My practicum placement was in…read more
During my practicum we had Painted Lady butterflies caterpillars delivered to our classroom. They were given to us in a container that have enough food for them to eat until they built and entered their chrysalis’. We received them at the end of our plant unit where we had touched upon butterflies. The students have been extremely engaged in watching the caterpillars grow larger and start to build their chrysalis’. It was an excellent idea to have the students get to watch the life cycle of a caterpillar first hand. We…read more
My class has been studying fairy tales for the past few weeks. We have looked closely at Cinderella, The Three Little Pigs, Golidlocks and the Three Bears, and Little Red Riding Hood. Recently students were assigned to Reader’s Theatre groups. Each student was asked to create a character map of the character that they will performing. The students were asked to draw what the character looked like on the outside. On the inside the students were asked to write three words describing the personality, values, or beliefs of their characters….read more
At the end of our habitat we were studying ocean habitats. We had brainstormed the different plants and animals that live in oceans. After that we created a book called “The ABCs of Oceans.” Each student was assigned a letter and they were able to create a page about an animal or plant that started with that letter. The students excelled at this and created a magnificent book that I am very proud of. The students thought to right the letter throughout their work as well. You can see that…read more
During our fairy tale unit the students explored, in detail, the characters of the different stories. The students were required to complete at least one character map per fairy tale. For “The Three Little Pigs” the students created a wanted poster for the wolf. They enjoyed figuring out the criteria for the poster. The students created a picture of the wolf, getting creative with how he was depicted, what the crime was, where he was last seen, evidence left, and his reward. You can see the finished products below.