Blog+Posts

[|Building Rapport]
If there is anything I have learned from my cooperating teacher over the past four weeks, it is that building rapport with students is unmistakeably important. It is imperative that we make connections with students so that they trust us with their work. One thing that worked for my cooperating teacher was telling students about her life. Obviously, she didn't give them very personal information but she talked about her kids and her husband and the things they do as a family. For example, everyday we did a warm-up activity using vocabulary. Either her or I would stand up and give them an example sentence with the vocabulary word absent from the sentence. Most of the sentences we gave them would be about things we did over the weekend or things in our life. For instance, I may say something like "At Thanksgiving dinner, my twin cousins made "blank" remarks at the dinner table, which landed them in a time out." The hands would shoot in the air so that they could say that the vocabulary word was flippant. My cooperating teacher would tell funny stories about her kids using the vocabulary words and it created a really open and comfortable environment in the classroom.

The best would be that after we offered some sentences, we would ask students if they had any sentences they wanted to share. Most students would tell about their own life and I learned so much about students during this exercise. The other thing my cooperating teacher allowed, which I loved, was she gave students the opportunity to talk about life in her classroom. We read a short story called "Zebra" which was about a Vietnam War Veteran. Before we read the story we took a long time to talk about our own family members and friends who are war vets. Students were so willing to share things about their family and life. I loved that students felt like they could share the things that were important to them. The classroom was truly a community- everyone shared and volunteered. The teacher was not the only person doing work in that classroom everyday. I think that the classroom environment worked so well because of the time she spent learning and knowing her students. I saw firsthand just how important these connections are. Posted by [| Corinne Snyder] at [|9:55 AM] [|0 comments]   Email This BlogThis! Share to Twitter Share to Facebook

[|Can't believe it's almost over!]
I don't know about anyone else, but these past four weeks have made me realize how much I want to be a teacher! I have had the absolute best experience in this placement and I am sad that it is ending. I feel like the past few years, I have learned so much about teaching and it is all starting to make sense to me in ways that it didn't before. For instance, one thing I have always been worried about was [|differentiated instruction]. I was so nervous that I wouldn't be able to help all the students, or assess work fairly (this was an area that created a lot of anxiety for me). Well, when I entered this placement I discovered that in just one class period I had ESL students, a student with Auditory Processing Disorder which required me to wear a microphone when teaching, a student with Asperger's, and a few students with behavioral problems. There were modifications that had to be made but I noticed from watching my co-op that a lot of the differentiating she did was second nature. I also had the chance to teach in these classes almost every time I was in the classroom and it wasn't the stress I anticipated. It was amazing and I feel so much more comfortable because I know I am only going to grow further in [|student teaching].

I feel like everything is starting to come together and I am really grateful for all the things I have learned over the past few years. I feel myself growing as a teacher and putting to use all of the things we have learned. I can't wait to see all the new things I come to learn while teaching next semester! Posted by [| Corinne Snyder] at [|9:46 AM] [|0 comments] Email This BlogThis! Share to Twitter Share to Facebook

[|Lunch Duty]
Hey Everyone!

So, last week I had my first experience with 7th grade lunch duty! It was such an interesting experience, as I am sure you can all imagine. First, I had to stand and watch a HUGE line of students waiting to get into the cafeteria and I have to tell you, it gets a little crazy but really fun. Also, I thought it was really interesting (because we never did this in my middle school) but students had to raise their hand to leave their seat during lunch. If they needed a spoon or napkin they had to wait until you called on them so that they could get up and get what they needed.

The most interesting thing about lunch duty was the lounge. The lounge gets opened up after lunch is halfway over and it is located right next to the cafeteria. When you walk into the lounge it looks like a mini gym but it is filled with ping pong tables, pool tables, televisions hooked up to video games, couches, four square diagrams, and other activities. Students who have reached an honors level or did something great get entrance into the lounge for the day and they are allowed to bring one friend with them. The lounge is like a miniature recess for middle school students and they loved it! I thought it was so great that students got the chance to blow off some steam because sitting in a seat, learning all day can be difficult. The students who were in my class after they were at the lounge came to class prepared and participated throughout the entire lesson. I would say that the lounge is something really great for middle schoolers and I could see it being implemented in other schools. Posted by [| Corinne Snyder] at [|5:50 AM] [|0 comments] Email This BlogThis! Share to Twitter Share to Facebook

[|Glogster]
Hey Everyone!

So I know that all of us are taking Instructional Methods this semester and learning all about the different tech tips! Well, I just wanted to share my thoughts on Glogster!

For class we had to develop a class project that was central to a tech tip and I decided to use Glogster. To refresh your memory, Glogster is an online poster where students can insert text, graphics, and videos. I decided to incorporate my Glogster into my Unit Plan to hook students into a poetry unit. I had students analyze a song for poetic elements, post a music video, and images that correlate with the song. I found that the Glog was fun, creative, and a great way to hook students!

I just thought I would share my experience with everyone (: Posted by [| Corinne Snyder] at [|5:18 AM] [|2 comments]    Email This BlogThis! Share to Twitter Share to Facebook

[|Non Required American Reading]
Hey Everyone!

So I have been meaning to make a post about this text for a while because I really love this book! I just connected so well with all of the material in the book and I found myself literally laughing out loud over some of the entries. My favorite was the article about women not being able to write a piece of comedy. The article was sarcastic and witty from start to finish! This is a book that I would read for fun in my free time because it is just so rich and fresh!

Hope you're enjoying this as much as me! Posted by [| Corinne Snyder] at [|10:03 AM] [|1 comments]   Email This BlogThis! Share to Twitter Share to Facebook