I noticed the bulbs on the table when I walked into the classroom this morning. This class had changed their weekly project into a new inquiry, which was seeds and gardening. There were magnifying glasses and flashlights beside the bowl of bulbs for students to observe. As part of the project, students were required to complete a chat with three columns which were “I see”, I” think”, and “I wonder”. Then, students needed to put their observations and questions into a short paragraph and decorated it with a drawing. Student would have the opportunity to plant the bulbs and solve their wonders later (are they alive/ dead; what plant is it; what color would its flower be etc.) through actions.

This project really interested me because it focused on students’ thinking process and reminded me of the idea of metacognition. Teacher was guiding students to think about students’ own thinking, to realize what students have already known with their funds of knowledge, to see what they are capable of doing themselves, and to reflect on their own curiosities. Moreover, this project went from the classroom setting to school setting, and even to communities and families. It allowed students to leave their classroom and plant things in their school/ community area. Their little plants might have the opportunity to contribute and be part of the community, and present student’s results available for everyone to share in this environment.

Another project that students worked on earlier in the week is a self-portrait. Students watched an video on how to draw a self- portrait and used a mirror to create one for themselves. The main focus was to notice the facial details, such as the the angle of the eye brow and the mouth with different emotions, and students practiced on the accuracy of their drawings through the activity. This project would help students to notice details, and this is critical because it is a major foundation for self awareness. It helps establish the ability to accurately recognize one’s own emotions. This will also prepare students for relationship skills, such as communications and relationship-building, and many other things.

There were many other small details in the classroom showed the SEL language. For example, the picture books that focus on emotions and the warm welcoming sign on the table. I could see that the teacher really valued the SEL language in this classroom.

This is a reflection piece on my first day observing in a grade 2/3 classroom setting. Pictures are taken with caution and permissions.

Before children came into the classroom, their teacher updated the Today’s Agenda board to list the schedule of the day. Children could get notified when they came into the classroom and feeling more prepared when these activities happen throughout the day.

Children had 15 minutes of free playing time as the first thing after the bell. There was no assigned seating pattern. Stations were set up for students to rotate around mostly based on their interests. I saw some of them playing with building materials, and one student was working on his storybook alone because he couldn’t wait to finish it and share it with the class. Most ofall, ipads were popular among children.

 

“Everyone is a teacher. Everyone is a learner.”

Their teacher kept on reminding children with the learning competencies and the learning intentions for each activity that children did. There were also printed versions of the learning intentions placed on each station as the reminder. Once the free-playing time was over, children came to sit in a circle and had their “Me time” activity, which involved sharing stories and read aloud activities.

After snack and the first recess, children had their gym class and reading class before their lunch break. I was very honored to be invited to two meetings with the school staffs and parents to discuss two particular children’s social and emotional learning challenges in the classroom. But as a result, I did not have the opportunity to attend all of their classes today.

Their teacher had another read aloud session to bring children back into the classroom after the lunch break. Complex words were used during the discussion, but the teacher would clarify the definition by providing a simple explanation. Their teacher would wait until everyone was quiet and focused before she spoke. She often used eye contacts to give signals and make connections with the children. Children slowly calmed their bodies during this activity, which was a good start for their next literacy practice activity called “word book”.

The last and the most exciting part of the day was the “Big Buddies” activity, which children worked with grade 4 students on a project shown in pictures. Children were challenged to build a complex using 10 cups, 12 sticks, and 8 blocks, but one block and nothing else was allowed to touch the ground. The learning intention was to practice children’s communication skills and social skills during teamwork, while they experienced the physics part of building structures. Grade 4 students also needed to practice their literacy skills by writing a “report” on this activity. With the format they learned in their classroom, grade 4 students needed to write down a title describing what the challenge was, their names, and their plans.