Goals
My Three main goals as a teacher are:
1. To Maintain an Inclusive classroom: not all students learn the same way, offering a variety of teaching strategies benefits all students. Stronger students who finish early are encouraged to help weaker ones or were given the opportunity to work on homework quietly while others observe more examples.
2. To Create a Safe and Welcoming Environment: by building connections and fostering a safe environment through “Question of the Day” and “Getting to know you cards”
3. To Keep Students Engaged: by a) maintaining student centered lessons, b) incorporating movement and c) offering choices whenever possible.
Hands on activities
“hands on, Hearts on, Minds On
“Tell me and I forget, show me and I remember, involve me and I understand.”
Hands on: slowmation, flubber to represent the earth’s crust
, interactions and hands on activities (labs Syringe lab – hydraulics/pressure,
Jenga
Movement:
Choices
Virus project: your goals for what students will learn and the objectives by which you will help them achieve those goals.
Make it relevant by demonstrating connectedness of everything around us.
Many household items can be classified as either acidic or base
(importance of pH in the soil for plants, in our blood for our cells, in oceans
Site C damn changes fish habitat
We feel air pressure
Density
Understanding pressure in an enclosed system can help us do work (hydraulics in a
Critical Thinking (dihydrogen monoxide, H2O)
Inquiry:
example of acid naming worksheet
A challenge I faced in this practicum was both managing a secondary classroom as well as assessing learning formatively in order to plan appropriately. My largest area of growth was in my questioning skills and ability to engage the students in higher level thinking (upper blooms taxonomy).
My biggest challenge and therefore largest area of growth was my classroom management. In this practicum I learned the importance of planning and preparation, and through this experience I gained confidence in my role as a teacher in leading a classroom.
Classroom Management
It is important to forge relationships with students very early on. I wanted to base my teaching on trust and respect. I began my classes informing my students my goals of teaching, that my job is to help students to learn so if someone doesn’t understand to let me know.
I told them I hoped to gain their respect by first treating them with respect. I used many low key interventions such as wait time, eye contact, proximity, speaking with students in the hallway and creating new seating plans for students that couldn't control their chatting.
I learned that simple things like routine and handing back quizzes at the end of class instead of at the beginning was an effective method to refocus the class after an activity but also for those students who did not do well, they are not starting the class on a negative note.
Alien Periodic Table
Critical Thinking:
Dihydrogen Monoxide (H2O)
Demo: Sub lab, Cartesian diver, acid base demo
Video
Demo’s
Lava lamp to demonstrate how temperature affects density and buoyancy.
Dancing raisins –buoyancy (make a prediction)
Cartesian diver –
Inquiry
law of conservation of mass-vinegar and baking soda
submarine lab (pic)
Adapted and ELL
1. To Maintain an Inclusive classroom: not all students learn the same way, offering a variety of teaching strategies benefits all students. Stronger students who finish early are encouraged to help weaker ones or were given the opportunity to work on homework quietly while others observe more examples.
2. To Create a Safe and Welcoming Environment: by building connections and fostering a safe environment through “Question of the Day” and “Getting to know you cards”
3. To Keep Students Engaged: by a) maintaining student centered lessons, b) incorporating movement and c) offering choices whenever possible.
Hands on activities
“hands on, Hearts on, Minds On
“Tell me and I forget, show me and I remember, involve me and I understand.”
Hands on: slowmation, flubber to represent the earth’s crust
, interactions and hands on activities (labs Syringe lab – hydraulics/pressure,
Jenga
Movement:
- Speed dating
- Labs and demos
- Jigsaw (the importance of pH)
- Jigsaw (pH and 5 agents of change)-why is this good?
- Shoe sorting – taxonomy
- Natural selection simulation: chopsticks, spoons, paper clip to pick up three different food sources.
- Scavenger hunt review instead of seat work worksheet.
Choices
Virus project: your goals for what students will learn and the objectives by which you will help them achieve those goals.
Make it relevant by demonstrating connectedness of everything around us.
Many household items can be classified as either acidic or base
(importance of pH in the soil for plants, in our blood for our cells, in oceans
Site C damn changes fish habitat
We feel air pressure
Density
Understanding pressure in an enclosed system can help us do work (hydraulics in a
Critical Thinking (dihydrogen monoxide, H2O)
Inquiry:
- fosters collaboration
- Develops critical thinking and deeper understanding.
- Problem solving skills
- Eg. (Law of Conservation of Mass, Build your own submarine)
example of acid naming worksheet
A challenge I faced in this practicum was both managing a secondary classroom as well as assessing learning formatively in order to plan appropriately. My largest area of growth was in my questioning skills and ability to engage the students in higher level thinking (upper blooms taxonomy).
My biggest challenge and therefore largest area of growth was my classroom management. In this practicum I learned the importance of planning and preparation, and through this experience I gained confidence in my role as a teacher in leading a classroom.
Classroom Management
It is important to forge relationships with students very early on. I wanted to base my teaching on trust and respect. I began my classes informing my students my goals of teaching, that my job is to help students to learn so if someone doesn’t understand to let me know.
I told them I hoped to gain their respect by first treating them with respect. I used many low key interventions such as wait time, eye contact, proximity, speaking with students in the hallway and creating new seating plans for students that couldn't control their chatting.
I learned that simple things like routine and handing back quizzes at the end of class instead of at the beginning was an effective method to refocus the class after an activity but also for those students who did not do well, they are not starting the class on a negative note.
Alien Periodic Table
Critical Thinking:
Dihydrogen Monoxide (H2O)
Demo: Sub lab, Cartesian diver, acid base demo
Video
Demo’s
Lava lamp to demonstrate how temperature affects density and buoyancy.
Dancing raisins –buoyancy (make a prediction)
Cartesian diver –
Inquiry
law of conservation of mass-vinegar and baking soda
submarine lab (pic)
Adapted and ELL
- Visuals-Images, Demos, drawings
- Notes are fill in the blank
- Instructions both written and verbal
- Visual representation for those that are distracted by surrounding noise or need more time to process information
- benefits everyone
- Visual representation for those that are distracted by surrounding noise or need more time to process information
- Reduced content complexity and amount
- Supportive Learning Environment:
- Students encouraged to work collaboratively during seat work. Students who finish early encouraged to help others.
- Adapted students are paired with stronger students.
- Wait until everyone has their paper out. Point to spot.
- Circulating directly to them.
- Seating next to stronger students.
- Students encouraged to work collaboratively during seat work. Students who finish early encouraged to help others.
- Additional instructional time during tutorial block
Assessment
Some forms of assessment I have used:
Formative: KWL, Think-Pair-Share, Five finger check in, Thumbs up/Thumbs Down, Ticket out the door, Discussions,
Summative: Concept Map, Posters, Scavenger Hunt Review, Kahoot! Password, Taboo, crossword puzzles, quizzes and tests.
Formative: KWL, Think-Pair-Share, Five finger check in, Thumbs up/Thumbs Down, Ticket out the door, Discussions,
Summative: Concept Map, Posters, Scavenger Hunt Review, Kahoot! Password, Taboo, crossword puzzles, quizzes and tests.
