December post

With the holiday spirit, the kindergarteners got a chance to watch a Christmas movie. The movie was Rudolph's story and his experience with being different. I enjoyed watching this movie with the kids and being able to see their reactions to what was going on. They felt bad for Rudolph when he was being left out and they were happy whenever Rudolph was happy. Te expression I enjoyed most from them was when the movie introduced Rudolph's girlfriend. When the kids found out that he had a girlfriend, they all freaked out and said "Ewwwww!" and then started giggling. It was very innocent and I was glad I was there to see that.

Blog 10: EQ

I have reviewed the rule of three for writing an EQ

1.) no; there isn't enough to get deep research
2.) yes; its a correct format and it gives chance to get really good research
3.) yes; it provides a framework and it allows for a substance to be taken
4.) no; its not specific enough to get enough research

What is the most effective way to ensure a successful kindergarten classroom?

Blog 9: Lesson 1 Reflection

1. Positive statement

  What are you most proud of in your lesson 1 presentation and why?

    I was most proud at the fact that I was able to prove to everyone else and to myself that I know enough about my topic to be able to talk about it that much and with that much detail and without using any sort of technology. 

2. Questions to consider

  A. What assessment would you give yourself on your lesson 1 presentation (self-assessment)

     I would give myself a solid P.

  B. Explain why you deserve that grade using evidence from the lesson 1 component contract.

     I feel like I knew enough about my topic and I was able to give references and I gave facts. I talked about my research and about my mentorship too. I was also pretty professional.

3. What worked for you in your lesson 1?

     I think the way I designed my lesson plan helped me a lot because I spoke about one thing and gave examples for it and then I moved on to something else but it all flowed and it connected very well together. 

4. (What didn't work) If you had a time machine, what would you have done differently to improve your lesson 1?

     I would have made my lesson plan answer my EQ a bit more because my presentation was mainly about my topic and it didn't focus as much on answering my EQ as other presentations did. 

October extra post

Because it's October, the kids got the chance to paint pumpkins. After a long week of number and letter worksheets, the kids appreciated having the chance play and have fun in the play ground and with cups full of paint. 

I enjoyed seeing how every kid is when it comes to just painting a simple pumpkin. There were so many different ways because some kids will be very careful not to pass the lines and others would just add a lot of paint and make the paper so wrinkly it almost wripped. 

The many different styles of expressing themselves by just painting was very interesting. 

Blog 8: Research and Working EQ

Working EQ: What is the best way to ensure a successful kindergarten class?

• Loving what you do; if you're unhappy, the children won't have a good experience.
• Being aware of what is going on in the classroom; making sure everyone is understanding everything and not having a hard time with others
• Classroom setting; having an appropriate environment and supplies

What is the most important source you have used that has helped you come up with an answer to your working EQ?

I think the most helpful would be all the research I do for the research checks because that kind of gave me the idea of what my answers should be and my mentorship backed it up. 

Who is your mentor, or where are you doing your mentorship, and how does what you are doing relate to your working EQ?

My mentor is Ms. Dahline and I'm doing my mentorship at San Jose Elementary School and that relates to my EQ because I get to see how the classroom runs and everything that works and everything that doesn't work so that helps a lot with my EQ.

Blog 7: Independent Component 1 Approval

1.) Describe in detail what you plan to do for your 30 hours.
     For my mentorship, I go and observe Ms. Dahline's class. I also go around and help the kids with whatever it is they are doing that day. So for my 30 hours, I'm going to continue that and instead of just doing the 50 hours for year long mentorship, i will add on 30 hours for independent component 1. Giving me 80 hours (not counting independent component 2)

2.)Discuss how or what you will do to meet the expectations of showing 30 hours of evidence. 
    I will mostly take pictures of the classroom and the work the kids turn it. I might be able to keep some of the work they do and use it for my presentation.

3.)Explain how what you will be doing will help you explore your topic in more depth.
    I'll be spending more time with the kids in the classrooms and that will help me get to know them better and how they experience kindergarten so that will help me get a better idea of what it's like to teach kindergarten.

4.) Update your Senior Project Hours log.
     Updated.

Behavior

      One of the biggest part of kindergarten is the children's behavior. How they behave during class and how they work and communicate with not only their classmates but their teacher too, says a lot about how the child is and how he or she works. That's why it's always good to teach them at a young age how they're suppose to behave in a classroom. In the kindergarten class I volunteer at, they have this poster.Those are the rules they are suppose to follow when they're all sitting down on the rug while Ms. Dahline is teaching something new. This way is easier to have a certain order in the class.

     Something else that works in a kindergarten class is a chart that keeps track of how well the child behaves. Everyday right before class ends, the teacher can go through each student and say whether they child was good or bad. Its a way to reward the kids that did behave and a way to encourage the kids that didn't.