Invention Convention = Success!

Field Experience yesterday was anything but ordinary. When I entered the room, my second grade class was working (not so)quietly on their morning assignments as usual when when my teacher announced to put everything away. I had forgotten that yesterday was the day for our class to attend "Invention Convention," which was held in the cafeteria by the 6th graders in the school. I felt myself instantly overwhelmed at the idea of 25 little 7 year-olds making it down the hall, and into a crowd of people, and then all making it back to the classroom as a group. My teacher didn't seem to nervous so I was able to contain my anxiety for the time being. Once we made it down the hall, the students simultaneously sprinted towards this 6th grader and his remote control car that he had transformed into a remote control lawnmower. It was interesting to see all the different inventions these 6th graders came up with, from solar heated jackets, to alarm activated lunchboxes. During this little adventure, I had the pleasure in partnering up with a student that I am especially fond of. When we first entered the convention, his nervousness from the noise and large crowd took over, and he grabbed my hand. I was shocked at his decision to choose me as his "buddy," but I also found myself extremely pleased. The rest of the convention was a true success and I was able to learn a lot not only about the inventions, but I also about the meaning of connections between teacher and student.

Multigenre Research Paper Madness

If you peeked into last Wednesday's class you most likely saw students working on laptops with screens up that read: "Addictions," "9/11: The World's Biggest Tragedy," "Lindsey Lohan's New Jail Settlement," or "Child Abuse." This was because during last class we were given time to practice coming up with a piece for our Multigenre Research Papers. We started off class by flipping through pages of newspapers in order to explore the different types of writing that was used. A few genres that we found were: Interviews, Q&A's, recipes, pictures with captions, charts, and polls. After familiarizing ourselves with various types of contexts, we were given class time to create our own style, in which we used our topic for our papers in order to construct our first genre sample. With my topic of technology in education, I was able to formulate a poll that would display information I collected on people's opinions involving technology in the classroom. I plan on using the website Polleverywhere.com to help me generate accurate figures. I haven't decided on what other genres I will incorporate into my project, but I will be sure to keep you updated on my progress!

Wednesday's Writer's Workshop

Last Wednesday our entire field experience class participated in a Writer's Workshop that was demonstrated by an experienced fourth grade teacher at University School. The Workshop took place in an actual fourth grade classroom and lasted for approximately 45 minutes. Each IU student was given the opportunity to partner up with a child in the class in order to gain the full experience. Once we were partnered up, the teacher that led the Workshop had us start out by participating in a short free write. She gave us the topic of "brushing our teeth" and then had us focus on the tiny details that went in to this everyday task. We were given two minutes to jot down any details that made up the process of brushing our teeth, and then we were given one minute to share what we had written with our partner. This was an excellent strategy to get us thinking and ready for our next writing activity. Our Writing Workshop leader then led us in a mini-lesson where we focused on trying to come up with "first times" and "last times." She asked all of us (IU students and fourth grade students) to come up with a T-chart that would help us organize our thoughts. Our leader first gave us examples so we would have something to work off of before we were asked to come up with our own ideas. Some ideas I came up with for first times were: living on my own, my first babysitting experience, and when I learned how to drive a car. Some thoughts I had for the last time I did something were: the last time I saw my family, the last time I went to the lake, and the last time I went on vacation. By giving us this simple framework to expand from, we were able to come up with material that we wouldn't usually choose to write about. After the mini lesson was completed, we went off with our partners and discussed each of our ideas. It was interesting to hear how my topics connected with the thoughts of my fourth grade partner. This entire activity was beneficial to both grade levels, and I plan on using several of these methods with my future elementary school class.

Teaching Experience 101

Coming to class prepared to teach my Unit of Study to a couple college students in my opinion, is way less nerve wracking than presenting my lesson to 25 antsy little second graders. Not only is the audience different in every single way, but the approach that you take to teaching the lesson varies greatly as well. From the inflection in your voice, to the questions you ask to engage the students, it is going to be quite the adjustment from teaching a lesson plans to college students, to adhering to the individual needs of 7 year olds. Although this might seem quite obvious to most, I am slightly overwhelmed with the fact that before I know it, I am going to be the center of attention to around 25 spongey minds, absorbing each and everything thing I say. Even though my stomach twists and turns at the thought, I also feel an overwhelming amount of excitement running through me! I think that only experience will be able to calm this feeling, and make me more comfortable with the idea. I am looking forward to field experience tomorrow so I will able to practice becoming more familiar with communicating with younger children, and develop a better understanding of how their minds work.