I have assignment for linked up from my blog to be viewed on Google Docs. This is a pretty amazing educational tool. I am glad to get to know how to use these resources.

assignment 3 is available in google docs and from this blog for your viewing pleasure!

Nate's Student Teaching: Assignment 2 - link

http://docs.google.com/present/view?id=dv3gwzf_4czbrjqcx&interval=60

Picture Problems

I cant seem to figure out how to display all my Picassa pictures on this blog, but you you click on any one of the thumb tabs, it brings you to my picture profile, and you should be able to see a larger, more clear, version of all the photo's posted on my blog. Thanks.!

Parent teacher meeting today, never thought teachers would become so anxious and nervous.

Assignment 2 - Feb 15th

The pictures in my gallery are essentially both my lessons I will post on google documents. It was cool to have the opportunity to use the pictures later when reflecting on what to write about in a SNR required for my portfolio. You can see the felt board we use to have the kids actively applying their knowledge of the geography. I then asked them to use a map as a resource tool to find an list of Lakes in Minnesota. The lesson went well I think. I consulted my cooperating teacher about posting the students work online. Because the lesson was about a direct route to the students houses, he thought it was a bit sensitive for any public disclosure. He also was hesitant about publishing an assignment online that was for public ridicule. This being said, I can say that I corrected this assignment, and there were students whom did not get a single question correct, while most the class did fairly well or perfect. Iam going to look at the work and see it there is not a way to make things anonymous and confidential on the blog before I scan them and post them.
I will scan a few of the assignments and post my analysis soon.

Here are the lesson plans for my Minnesota Geography Unit
Minnesota Geography / Map Skills
“Minnesota’s Lake System- Social Studies
Lesson Plan for 26 Jan 2010
Minnesota Academic Standards in Social Studies
1. Geography/ Concepts of Locations / V A
2. Geography/ Maps and Globes / V A , V B , V C , V E
Required Material
• Road Map of Minnesota
• Minnesota Lakes Worksheet
• Projector (correcting when complete)
• Minnesota fact sheet
• Minnesota Lakes fact sheet
Anticipatory Set
• Today’s Current Events
• Correct Minnesota Map Worksheet from yesterday using projector and smart board
Goal
To have the students, be able to improve their map reading abilities, while being able to identifying and recognizing Minnesota’s lakes by appropriate name, and location.
Objectives
By the end of this lesson, I hope each student can:
1) Recognize and identify 14 of Minnesota’s lakes.
2) Use a road map properly
(Transmission / Listening)
Ask the class what they know about Minnesota? Arouse discussion, try to jump start conversation to the lake system. Share facts about Minnesota. Ask if they know anything interesting about Minnesota’s lake system or any stories about the lakes. From here begin to share Minnesota’s lake system facts
- Diminishing wetlands – Natural/unnatural causes
- Lake Superior – Largest fresh water lake in world ….
- Edmond Fitzgerald
- Fishing licenses / walleye records
- Ask if we remember Ojibwa names for Superior, Mississippi, Minnesota?




(Practical/ Assessment)
Using your Minnesota road map as a resource, locate the lakes listed on your Minnesota Lakes worksheet and label accordingly. This exercise will be corrected and marked, followed by a practical test conducted on the smart board when everyone is finished.

• Reminders : - Greek Unit test corrections are due tomorrow / Middle School to home maps
Modeling –
Main parts of Minnesota’s lake system modeled by road maps.
Assessments are corrected aloud, and projected on smart board once assignment is finished
Class is asked to label a random lake on Smart board’s blank map of Minnesota as a final practical assessment and means of modeling our objective 1.
Assessment: this lesson will consist of each student handing in their completed lakes map worksheet and label a random lake on the SMART BOARD.



~~~~~~~~~~The other lesson I am putting up, was not captured with digital photography, but none the less it was a pretty neat. I used the smart board to broadcast a map of Minnesota, then we dissected it by its resources. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Minnesota History Map
“Mini-Minnesota Map Exercise- Social Studies
Lesson Plan for 22 Jan 2010
Minnesota Academic Standards in History and Social Studies
1. Historical Inquiry Skills IV
2. Geography Map and Globes V B
3. Geography Map and Globes V D
4. Geography Interconnections
5. Geography Essential Skills E
Required Material
• Road Map of Minnesota
• Map of Bemidji handout
• 8x14 paper
Anticipatory Set
• Today’s Current Events
• Ask for any late assignments or completed work from Greece Unit- Last chance.
• Review of last material covered: Last period we attempted to make a map of Minnesota from memory (Memory map). We also covered some facts about our state.
State Motto: “L’étoile Du Nord” – North Star in French
State Bird: Loon


Goal
To have the students be able to use and identify key components of a map, while recognizing their own geographic location within Bemidji.


Objectives
By the end of this lesson, I hope each student can:
1) Locate and describe the function of: Map Key, Compass Rose, Map Scale
2) Create a map projection of their route from location - Bemidji Middle School to home on an 8x14 piece of paper.
Delivery of Content
(Transmission / Listening)
Ask the class how they would explain what a map is? With the smart board, bring up slide projection
What is a Map? – Recorded on SMARTBOARD for alternative delivery of content. (Visual)
1. What is a map?
2. What do people use maps for?
3. What are main parts of a map?
Discussion –
Assignment will be to create a map of the way you travel from Bemidji Middle School to your home, keeping in mind you use the main parts of a map. This will be worked on today and into next week likely to be finished for Wednesday, as Monday is a professional development day for the teaching staff.
– No school Monday
Modeling –
Model main parts of a map on slide 2 – Minnesota map
Model School to home map on SMARTBOARD Slide 3 - (assignment)
Place enlarged map of Bemidji so students can find themselves before they re-create their journey home- Slide 4 (Bemidji)
Assessment: For this lesson will consist of each student handing in their complete map, with 5 considerations: neatness, key, beautification, scale, distance


- Iam going to try to scan the handouts and my examples by weeks end for your viewing consideration.

Virtual School- Delta BMS

I tried to take pictures the last couple weeks that represent the concepts explored in our face to face meeting, and assignment one. Saying that if you do take the time to check out my photos, you will see the class in action looking up lakes and rivers in Minnesota on a road map.

You will also see the services and technology offered in the school such as our class room smart board, maps, television/projector set, multiple computers. Aside from that there is Minnesota Study room which is very practical in Social Studies.

Since community was a big benchmark in the first assignment, I managed to take a picture of all the things I thought contributed to this sense of community. This can be seen with the pictures of all the signage. Too bad I have plans on Friday Family Fun Night!!!!!!

"We are all in this together"

 

 

 

 

Student teaching at the middle school is alot of fun, but I can say honestly after 3 weeks, that I was very naive.

Assignment One

I am currently student teaching,6th grade social studies,at Bemidji Middle School, located here in Bemidji. It is just down the road from Target if you are not familiar with this institution. It is a school experience, that I myself have never had the opportunity to go to. Unlike other middle or elementary school settings, BMS is a very open institution. The classes are not stationary, but the instructors are. Saying this, I must elaborate, that the school is not a chaotic as I may have some people believe, but it is very liquid and not like any middle school I have come across. The students are assigned pods. A pod is a grouping of classrooms which together make up their daily class schedule. My pod is Delta. Within Delta there are 4 classrooms and 4 instructors. Each instructor is stationed in a room which is specialized for their subject matter. Our social studies room has a computer, projector and collection of maps, while the science pod has burners and the English pod has dictionaries. Whatever the case maybe, these pods are created and arranged so that throughout the day, the over 100 students belonging to Delta pod, shift class rooms, within the pod, as the day progresses.

This type of set up puts a lot of responsibility on the students, for they are now responsible to not only 1 or 2 teachers in a day, but four. They are responsible to be to class on time, and to recover things from their locker between break. When I was in the sixth grade we did not have these types of daily responsibilities and it may help them build character and responsibility, but it does consume a lot of time and is always a battle to have your class ready because of the extreme movement going on within the pod 5 times a day.

Because within the pod, their are no doors or hardly any doors, this combined with 4 teachers using microphones becomes very loud. This adds to the feeling of excitement and busyness within the pods. It can be another distraction, but the microphones do enable the whole class to be able to hear their teacher, in this very rambunctious environment. Aside from the mass movement of students all day, and the constant reminder of the classes within your pod, BMS is a very open and wonderful school. The school is designed to be a community. The pod is a small community of that grade or class. The school itself if a continuation of that feeling of community. It seemingly creates this community feeling (for the students), by evoking them to participate in a a vast collection of duties, teams, and events. I am always surprised to see the many opportunities these young students have, outside of the basic foundations of education. They are busy on the ski team, or the junior leadership team, dramatic readings, spelling bees, wrestling, and the list goes on.


Currently we teach 5 periods a day, to nearly 25 students each period. Each hour, the students are comprised of a huge variance of ability and maturity. This adds to the challenge, because what works for my first period hour, would have to be modified to work for my 4th hour class. Throughout the day their are a significant amount of people whom are border line special ed and a handful of students whom are on IEPs, for behaviour, and performance reasons. We have 5 students whom are higher functioning autistic students. We have a few hours within the day that we have educational assistants in the room, but they are really limited to helping the autistic students. It appears that the girls are a bit more mature than the boys, but like anything their is an exception to any rule. The school as a whole, is comprised of nearly 40% IEP students and 50% of students are reduced lunch, which is an indicator to low income. They are all pretty fun kids to teach too.

At this point my primary concern is that I am not effectively maintaining discipline during the day. I spend alot of time trying to stay focused and it distracts from my lesson. I realize that their will always be wasted time in anything, but limiting the amount of time lost to distractions is something I need to address and work on.




At this point I am looking forward most to the day in which I am able to fully implement the day to day functions of the class. Iam thrust head first, into this great practical experience in which, day by day, I can learn how to teach and reach my goals as an educator.

List of Goals


- To develop a disciplinary approach which allows for successful learning.
- Be able to successfully implement my lessons to the students.
- Reflect on my teaching ability, while considering and making effort to improve.
- Know all my students first names.