Field Experience Reflection

Field Experience Reflection

1. How many hours did you complete?

I completed the 6 hours that were required for this course.

2. In a short paragraph or bulleted list, how did you spend your time?

     I had the opportunity to observe Mrs. Cary who is a forth grade teacher at Summit View Elementary.  I spent most of the day in Mrs. Cary classroom which was a little over 6 hours. I was very impressed with her organization and positive classroom environment. As soon as the students entered the classroom Mrs. Cary greeted them with a hello and a smile. The morning work assignment was written on the board and students knew exactly what to do. The students who finished early were able to silent read at their desks. Mrs. Cary had a wonderful classroom library stock with a variety of books. Her library also had comic books, brochures from different places, and magazines which many of the students enjoyed. Mrs. Cary had many of the books listed in the textbook for this class in her classroom library. Her library was organized by lexile and the students each had a bookmark with their lexile level on it. Students picked a book from their lexile level and they could pick another book of their choice for their "book bags" which they kept at their desks.

     After they reviewed the morning work they had their numeracy block in which they switch to different classes. There are a total of six fourth grade classrooms at Summit View and they put the students into groupings for math in advanced, on-level, and progressing. After the numeracy block was literacy block. Mrs. Cary divided the students up into 4 groups. In these groups students rotated between four different centers. I was very interested to see the centers in the literacy groups because I use literacy centers in my own classroom and it is always nice to see new center ideas. Mrs. Cary had a fluency center, comprehension center where students completed choice boards, technology center where students completed activities for their learning path on the computer, and a cross-curricular center where students complete different activities for science, math, and social studies (on the day I was observing they worked in groups completing a math activity on the smartboard).


3. How did the experience help you to strengthen at least one Kentucky Teacher Standard?
     Observing  the students in centers helped me to strengthen my knowledge of Kentucky Teaching Standard 2: the teacher designs and plans instruction. What I noticed most about Mrs. Cary's centers is that every student was engaged and seemed to enjoy the activity at the center. The organization of the  centers helped to make the students more self-sufficient and they were able to figure out their problems instead of having to ask the teaher. Mrs. Cary did a wonderful job reaching many of the Kentucky Teaching Standards but the standard I enjoyed seeing the most was Kentucky Teaching Standard 3: the teacher creates and maintains learning climate.
Her classroom environment was very fun to be in. Mrs. Cary and her students have a mutual respect for each other which is so important especially with older students who begin seeing school as something not as fun as it use to be.

4. Talk a little about one thing you learned because of this field experience.

From observing Mrs. Cary's forth grade classroom I learned that it is essential to be organized and to create a warm classroom environment for students. If materials are organized and the students know what is expected of them most students will be engaged and things will go much smoother.
I had a wonderful time observing Mrs. Cary and her forth grade students at Summit View Elementary and I am glad I got the opportunity. It was nice to get out of the classroom and see others doing a job with the same passion I have for my students.

Book List and Wiki Checklist

Genre / Titles you read
             I.      Non-fiction/Informational (1 reflection required on blog)
1)   The Magic School Bus Explores the Senses (Joanna Cole)
2)  For Boys Only: The Biggest, Baddest Book Ever

          II.      Poetry (1 reflection required on blog)
1)     What My Mother Doesn’t Know (required for discussion)
2) Where the Sidewalk Ends (Shel Silverstein)
3) If the Shoe Fits (Laura Whipple)

       III.      Modern Fantasy (1 reflection required on blog)       
1)      Babe the Gallant Pig (required for discussion)
2) Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (J.K. Rowling)
3) The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (C.S. Lewis)
4) Charlotte’s Web (E.B. White)

       IV.      Historical Fiction (1 reflection required on blog –can be a picture book)    
1)      Al Capone Does My Shirts (required for discussion)
2)  Bud, Not Buddy (Christopher Curtis)

          V.      Multicultural/Traditional (2 reflections required on blog – one can be a picture book)       
1) Henry's Freedom Box: A True Story from the Underground Railroad (Ellen Levine)
2) Rosa (Nikki Giovanni)
3) Grandfather’s Journey (Allen Say)
4) The Snowy Day (Ezra Jack Keats)
5) Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People’s Ears (Leo Dillon)

       VI.      Realistic Fiction (1 reflection required on blog)
1)  Laugh Until you Cry  (required for discussion)
2)  Clementine (Sara Pennypacker)
3)  Clementine’s Letter (Sara Pennypacker)
4) Harriet the Spy (Louise Fitzhugh

    VII.      Picture Books (8 reflections required on blog)
1)      Knots on a Counting Rope (required for discussion)
2) The true story of the three little pigs! (J, Scieszka) 
3) The sweetest fig. (C, Van Allsburg)
4) Golem. (D., Wisniewski)
5) No, David! (David Shannon)
6) Officer Buckle and Gloria (Peggy Rathmann)
7) Where the Wild Things Are (Maurice Sendak)
8) Faithful elephants (Y. Tsuchiya)
9) Click, Clack, Moo: Cows that Type (Doreen Cronin)
10) Olivia (Ian Falconer


Wiki Checklist

__1__ Social Studies
____ Science
_1___ Math
____ Music
_1__ Art
_2__ Reading/Language Arts
____ Physical Education
____ Other

The Magic School Bus Explores the Senses

Cole, J. (2001). The magic school bus explores the senses. New York: Scholastic.

The Magic School Bus Explores the Senses by Joanna Cole is a fantastic informational story that many students would find intriguing. This book includes all the famous characters from the Magic School Bus tv series. The most fascinating character is Mrs. Frizzle who is a very eccentric teacher who takes her students on the best field trips. In the book The Magic School Bus Explores the Senses the assistant principal Mr. Wilde and crew go through a human eye, tongue, and dog's nose to explore the different senses. The illustrations for this book are cartoon like and a great visual to draw a young reader in. The characters even use thought and conversation bubbles to add facts and discussion to the story. This book covers all the senses which makes it a wonderful book to use to introduce the 5 senses.

Big Questions:
What was the most interesting fact from the book and why?
What field trip would you want to go on with the Friz?

A Book Talk for Bud, Not Buddy

Curtis, C.P. (1999). Bud, Not Buddy. New York: Delacorte Press.

“As soon as I got into the library I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. I got a whiff of the leather on all the old books, a smell that got real strong if you picked one of them up and stuck your nose real close to it when you turned the pages. Then there was the smell of the cloth that covered the brand-new books, books that made a splitting sound when you opened them. Then I could sniff the paper, that soft, powdery, drowsy smell that comes off the page in little puffs when you're reading something or looking at some pictures, kind of hypnotizing smell.” (Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Curtis) Bud, not Buddy written by Christopher Curtis is a book that I would highly recommended because of the inspiring main character. This story is about a young boy named Bud whom is an orphan living in Flint, Michigan during the great depression.

“A bud is a flower-to-be. A flower in waiting. Waiting for just the right warmth and care to open up. It's a little fist of love waiting to unfold and be seen by the world. And that's you.” (Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Curtis.) Bud, the main character in the story is an orphan who is looking for his birth father. Bud is a very determined young boy who doesn’t give up. All Bud wants is a home and a real family which is what most people have but often take for granted. Throughout the story Bud has many adventures and takes the lessons he learns from them. Mr. Calloway is a band leader and Bud’s grandfather. Mr. Calloway at first found it difficult to accept Bud but in the end begins to welcome him into the family.

This book would be a wonderful read aloud for intermediate children. There are many life lessons weaved throughout the story that would be good for students to hear. Bud has many setbacks in the story but he stays determined to find his father. Many people step in to help Bud on his journey. I highly recommend this book to all readers.  

Clementine

Pennypacker, S. (2006). Clementine. New York: Hyperion.

Clementine is a very humorous relastic fiction story written by Sara Pennypacker. The story goes through a week in the life Clementine a young 3^rd grader. The main character is a fun loving and high energy. The setting in the story is Clementine's school and home. The conflict in this story would be self to self because when trying to help others she tends to get herself into trouble with her efforts.

This book reminded me of the book series Junie B. Jones by Barbara Park. The main character resembles an older version of the main character in Park's books Junie B. Jones with her humorous adventures and somewhat impulsive personality. Clementine is always getting in trouble for not paying attention or for not paying attention to what she is supposed to. Another character in this story is Clementine's friend Margaret. Margaret is the total opposite of Clementine which is a great addition to the story.

This book would be enjoyed by the students in my class. I think the characters in the story are very relatable to students and they would find the adventures they go on entertaining. Clementine finds it hard to behave in school and has a difficult time staying out of trouble. Clementine thinks she is "allergic to sitting still" which many students can relate to. 

Big Questions:

-Does Clementine remind you of anyone you know?

- How would you help Margaret?

Where the Sidewalk Ends

Silverstein, S. (1974). Where the sidewalk ends.  New York: HarperCollins Publishers. Where the Sidewalks Ends by Shel Silverstein is a wonderful collection of poems. This was a book that I remember reading and enjoying as a child. As a child I thought all poems had to rhyme because those were the only poems I had really been exposed to prior. I had never really had a huge interest in poetry until hearing the poems from this book in 3rd grade. The illustrations in this book are a black and white and speak to the reader.  This book would be a wonderful book to help introduce students to poetry because of the variety of poems it has within it. The poems vary in length and structure, some of the poems rhyme and some do not. This book would be a wonderful tool to teach poetry because of the variety of poems. Many students believe that all poems have to rhyme and this book has several that are free verse. Students would love this book  because of the relatable poems and humorous illustrations. 

Henry's Freedom Box

Levine, E. (2007) Henry's Freedom Box. Scholastic Press.  Henry's Freedom Box is based on the true story of Henry  Brown who was a slave who actually mailed himself to freedom. After witnessing  his family being sold at auction Henry knew he had to do something for his own freedom. With the help of some friends in the story Henry had to courage to mail himself to freedom. The illustrations in the story help add to the mood of the story by the media of watercolors and oil. The illustrations show the hardships Henry had to go through throughout his journey at times even showing Henry upside down in the pictures.  I first heard this book when my students and I had a field trip to the Freedom Center in Cincinnati, Ohio. The students got to hear the story of Henry Brown and also sit inside a model box that was around the same size as the shipping box Henry made his voyage to freedom in. This is a wonderful story to  help illustrate importance of their freedom and the depths that people were willing to go to get their freedom.  Big Questions: Why is your freedom important? Describe Henry in one word? Would you have the courage to go on a voyage for your freedom?

American Tale Tales

Osborne, M.P. (1991) American tall tales. New York: Random House Children's Books.  American Tall Tales by Mary Pope Osbourne is a wonderful collection of tales from famous tall tale heroes. Some of the characters in this book include Paul Bunyan, Davy Crockett, Johnny Appleseed, and Pecos Bill just to name a few. Mary Pope Osbourne does a wonderful job at making the characters in the story come alive. The tales in this book are close to the originals with just a little twist from the author. There are not many illustrations in this book but the few that there are really add the the story because they create a clearer picture of the famous tall tale heroes. The illustrations in this book are wood carving pictures which is very unique.   I think the tales and characters in this book would be great to use when teaching students perseverance and goal setting. American Tall Tales would be a wonderful book to introduce students to tall tales. This book would also be a good book to teach hyperbole and exaggeration. A fun activity for this book would be to have students create and share their own tall tales.