This week had lots in store for us! It went by very quickly, as Mrs. S was away for 1 ½ days and we had our Pro-D “New Curriculum” collaboration on Friday. When the TOC came in on Monday, I offered to take on most of the daily activities so I could get a feel for what a full-day was like. Luckily, the TOC gave me some freedom to take on most of the days lessons, which gave me a good sense of a full-teaching load. Wow, did the day ever go fast! I felt like I gained a lot of confidence this week in my ability to manage the class with little to no support from other teachers. It is a great accomplishment when you can make that teacher-student connection with the class, and feel like the students can appreciate you as a teacher-figure. I feel as though I have set my own expectations of the students, and that they understand their job within the classroom community.

On Monday, we planted our Lima beans in science, and are currently checking-in every day to see how they are growing. We have different experimental conditions to evaluate the importance of air, water, and soil. The planting experience was a lot of fun for the students, and they are eagerly awaiting their seeds to grow. This week we also took off on our “trip” to St. John’s, Newfoundland. Mrs. S took the students out to the playground while the EA and I sent up for our departure. I made a sign that welcomed students to “Cougar Canyon International Airport” where they walked through security with their suitcases made from cereal boxes (which turned out great!). They had to pass security with their passports and take their plane ticket to their seat on the “airplane”. We had the seats lined up in rows to simulate a real plane experience, and put on a YouTube clip of a plane taking off so they could visualize what it might really feel like (this was neat, as some students have never been on a plane before). We then passed over Canada, flying eastward, and saw the topography of the land (Rocky Mountains, the Prairies, and the Canadian Shield). Students were excited to learn that Canada was once covered by a glacier- they couldn’t believe that ice once covered our entire country! Next class we will be learning more about Newfoundland and will travel to all 10 Provinces and 3 Territories during the unit. This was a lot of fun for both the students and the teachers!

Mrs. S and I are planning to take on a new approach in the coming weeks for engaging all students in group discussion. We read a passage from a formative assessment book that talks about strategies for engineering effective discussion, talks, and activities that elicit evidence of learning. The strategy is called “No Hands Up” except to ask a question. This strategy allows the teacher to randomly draw Popsicle sticks with student’s names. This will monitor who’s being asked, and encourage others to participate who do not normally raise their hand. The only issue that I have with this approach is the anxiety that may be spurred on by being “picked on.” Mrs. S wants to give this method a try next week, so we will see how it goes. The most important part is to ensure a safe environment for all the students so they feel comfortable engaging in this type of activity.