Almost done!!

Time sure is flying! My teaching is going well...it's so great to just get in there and do it! I know I still have so much to improve, but I also know that I can teach...which is, in my opinion, a great starting point.

We just finished up a FOSS science unit called pebbles, sand, and silt. It was interesting to see how much the kids learned. I feel like it's really easy for kids to excel at science...they really are natural scientists. But they definitely need to keep being pushed to acheive at their highest levels.

I did the Thanksgiving lessons recently that are for the PPA. For my pre-assessment, I had students work in groups and write/draw things they associate with the first thanksgiving. Then they shared their ideas. It went pretty well...there were lots of turkeys and pilgrims, and bows and arrows. It's so great to have them work in groups- I feel like this is something that isn't done enough. But every time I do it, I realize how important it is, and how much they still need to improve their team working skills. I also had them do an "exploration report," which is an idea from GLAD. I gave them a picture of some pilgrims and Native Americans and in groups, they listed their observations, predictions, and questions on a poster. I love this format! It really encourages analyitical thinking and can be used in many subjects. They shared their posters with the class. It went okay, but I think they need a lot more specific instruction and practice at presenting and being an attentive audience.
I also read a book about the first Thanksgiving that told the story from the perspective of a pilgrim boy and a Native American boy. The students are now writing thier own stories about an event that could have (or did) happen during the first Thanksgiving from two perspectives. It's interesting to see that many students understood this and were able to write something from two perspectives and some didn't quite get it. This is something to continue to work on.

For my second PPA, I'm thinking about doing a lesson about the first Thanksgiving. It would be neat to have kids look at it from both the pilgrims' and Native Americans' points of views. There's a book I've found that tells the story from both views. I thought it might also be interesting to have students look at some sources from around that time and try to interpret them.