Today, I met with my cooperating teacher (CT) this morning. He gave me an introduction to his classroom routine and quickly showed me around the school. As I sat in the back of his classroom and observed the layout, I noticed that he had posters all over the walls. The posters were helpful hints for writers, such as a reminder to revise and edit your work. There were several handmade posters of his that reminded his students of the different types of sentences, but my favorite one was the reminder that students should always write to impress because the reason for writing is communication. Whether or not that audience that you are trying to impress is yourself, your teacher, or your peers, it is writing that will be published for a purpose.
My CT also had a poster of my favorite literature quote from Dr. Seuss, "The more you read, the more you know." Under the poster, there was a library with a plethora of reading selections from historical fiction to mystery and fantasy. After getting to know my CT, I learned that he is very persistent in making his students get into the habit of reading. Not only does he have a small library in his room, but the students go to the library once a week and he assigns 30 minutes of reading a night and requires his students to fill out a reading log.
Writing is also a very important part of this class. The students write for 10 minutes 2-3 times a week. There is a writing prompt for the students to become inspired from, but my CT encourages them to just write about whatever they would like to. He emphasizes that writing is how he pours his thoughts out and copes with the world around him. My CT wants his students to try writing as an outlet, and I noticed that the students actually do write for almost the entire time. I was very impressed by the affect that he has had on them.
My CT has his class objectives posted on the board in the front of the room, along with the homework, which is read for 30 minutes every night. I thought that his homework assignment is a great idea because students should make reading a habit because once it becomes part of their routines, it will not longer seem like a chore, but an enjoyment.
Today, in class, my CT talked about the poetry project that his students would be doing. Because my CT is eMINTS certified, he is able to work in a classroom with computers. While I was present in my CT's room, I circulated around and helped the students and encouraged them to let their creativity pour onto the screen. There are enough computers for two students to share. His project required students to make a plan, then write the poem next to the plan, and then to publish the poem in a beautiful and esthetically pleasing way. The students would have to each make their own individual poem, and then work with their partner in creating one together. I was very impressed at the way that the students worked together so well. I did not notice any disagreements or arguments arise between partners. They were also very comfortable with the technology in the classroom, which showed me that they were used to using computers. It was a very good first day at my practicum.
My CT also had a poster of my favorite literature quote from Dr. Seuss, "The more you read, the more you know." Under the poster, there was a library with a plethora of reading selections from historical fiction to mystery and fantasy. After getting to know my CT, I learned that he is very persistent in making his students get into the habit of reading. Not only does he have a small library in his room, but the students go to the library once a week and he assigns 30 minutes of reading a night and requires his students to fill out a reading log.
Writing is also a very important part of this class. The students write for 10 minutes 2-3 times a week. There is a writing prompt for the students to become inspired from, but my CT encourages them to just write about whatever they would like to. He emphasizes that writing is how he pours his thoughts out and copes with the world around him. My CT wants his students to try writing as an outlet, and I noticed that the students actually do write for almost the entire time. I was very impressed by the affect that he has had on them.
My CT has his class objectives posted on the board in the front of the room, along with the homework, which is read for 30 minutes every night. I thought that his homework assignment is a great idea because students should make reading a habit because once it becomes part of their routines, it will not longer seem like a chore, but an enjoyment.
Today, in class, my CT talked about the poetry project that his students would be doing. Because my CT is eMINTS certified, he is able to work in a classroom with computers. While I was present in my CT's room, I circulated around and helped the students and encouraged them to let their creativity pour onto the screen. There are enough computers for two students to share. His project required students to make a plan, then write the poem next to the plan, and then to publish the poem in a beautiful and esthetically pleasing way. The students would have to each make their own individual poem, and then work with their partner in creating one together. I was very impressed at the way that the students worked together so well. I did not notice any disagreements or arguments arise between partners. They were also very comfortable with the technology in the classroom, which showed me that they were used to using computers. It was a very good first day at my practicum.
