Lauren+K.


 * April 14, 2011**
 * Teaching Tremendously**
 * Reflection**

On Tuesday of last week when our class taught tremendously, I think that it went well overall. I know personally I was very nervous about getting up in front of my peers to teach the lesson I created because I thought to myself, "What happens if I cannot deliver the lesson well?" "What happens if it is not a good lesson?" but that was the point of doing this in front of our peers. We were able to see how the lesson went and we could make corrections as it went along. I know that this first day was harder for me to teach because I had no idea what to expect since this was the first time we taught a lesson that we created. Since I did my lesson on forces of motion, pushing and pulling, I brought in a lot of materials for the students to test out. I had to do quite a few activities and I got overwhelmed with the amount of time we had to teach. I have a big issue with confidence and a fear of messing up when I am in the classroom, and I really need to work on overcoming that fear. I know that will come with experience. My group thought that my objectives in my lesson were a little complex for first grade, so I just need to be sure that the students are scaffolded appropriately so they are able to get the most out of the lesson. I think that it is difficult when teaching to your peers because they are on a much higher level of thinking than first graders, so when we are teaching such a simple lesson, I felt that it was hard to get an idea of how well the students would understand the lesson. I showed a video for the engage part of my lesson and I learned from my peers that I should have played the video halfway through because the video covered concepts that I did not cover in my lesson and could have been confusing to my students.
 * Science:**

On Thursday, when we taught our math lesson, I felt that this one went a lot better and smoother than it did on Tuesday. Since this whole process was not as new to us, we were able to have more confidence in the way we taught. For this lesson, I once again had a lot of materials for my students to use. My "students" on Thursday were messing with all of the materials and were throwing them across the table, so I learned that I need to have more directions that are laid out clearly for my students. In the classroom I would be sure to specify which students could touch the materials when and I would have individual supplies for each of the tables. The room I was in was hard to spread out all of my materials. I learned from both of my lessons that I need to have specific directions for each role, and I may even need to write the rules out for each group to see, because that could be a lot to remember for first graders.
 * Math:**

I think that it might have been more beneficial for us to teach our peers who are in our same grade level. They may know how first graders act more so than the other grades and could probably give more feedback knowing how hard or easy to make the lessons. I am very scared that my students will ask a question that I do not know the answer to or I will freeze up. Thinking on the fly will be challenging, but I hope to get more comfortable as we do more work in the classroom. Overall, I think that this is a great activity to do and I think we should definitely do this. The more experience we get teaching, the better!


 * March 30, 2011**
 * Formative Assessment**

I learned from the article that teachers are changing the ways that they motivate students. Instead of increasing the anxiety by threatening students with scary grades, tests, and pop quizzes, the schools have realized that this needs to change. In past years, students would succeed and score well on the assessments, which gave them the motivation to continue to try in school to keep achieving at high levels. There was a big gap between the successful students and the low-achieving students because these students scored low in the very early grades and were not motivated because they thought they were not capable of doing well. They, in turn, decided to stop trying because they thought that would make them look better than failing because they could not do the work. The school system used to be fine with this option of having students drop out or not try, but now teachers are responsible for having all students achieve at a required minimum level set by the government. The article stated that formative assessment is part of the lesson to "enhance student learning." The article mentioned that summative assessment happens mainly once at the end of the year, but this does not help teachers see what they need to work on with the class or individuals throughout the year. Schools are now implementing more frequent testing throughout the year. This tactic is using "summative assessment in formative ways." Teachers and administrators are also working harder at analyzing test scores and figuring out what the class needs to focus on if they are having trouble mastering certain concepts. I really like the idea of "Assessment FOR Learning" because it allows teachers, parents, and students to know where they stand in academic achievement throughout the year. I think that portfolios of work for each student are a great way to see improvement over the year and keeps track of everything that the students do. Assessment FOR Learning is a great way for student improve because they have access to seeing good and not so good work and have a goal of what to strive for. They also get detailed feedback from teachers on what students should work on for the next assignment. I know that this will be more work for teachers, but I think that it will be very beneficial for all students in the long run.
 * Stiggins Article**

1. In my most recent science lesson, I had a formative assessment that had students write a paragraph about a hypothetical situation that I gave them. The students had to give an explanation of what they would do in that situation. I would be sure to let the students know of what I expect of all of them. I would give them a list of words on the board so that they could be sure to give a detailed explanation and also be creative. 2. In another one of my lessons, I would have students create an individual Venn Diagram with items that they found at home and in the classroom that they are able to push and pull. I would have them classify and sort each item in the Venn Diagram to make sure they were clear on the concept that I was teaching them and see if there were any consistent misconceptions across the class spectrum. If I found that there were some misunderstandings, I would be able to change the focus or direction of my next lesson to clear up the mistakes. 3. In my next math lesson, I will continue to work on balance with my students. They will be observing and experimenting with everyday objects on their own and with partners. They will be working with balance scales and nonstandard units of measurement to balance out the scales. I will have students create a little journal that they can keep track of their findings. They will state the item that they are measuring on the page of the journal and will then draw the balance scale with the everyday object on the one side. They will write a brief, description of what happened to the scale when the item was placed there. Then, they will try to even out the balance scale by adding nonstandard units to the other side such as Unifix cubes or other math manipulatives. They can then draw the scale at this point in the experiment and will provide another explanation of their observation. By doing this, teachers can keep track of each student's understanding throughout the lesson. She can then decide to adjust the lesson as needed in order for the students to progress the best they can.
 * 3 Forms of Formative Assessment**

I have learned from my methods classes that graphic organizers are a great way of formatively assessing your students. Examples of these are KWL charts, 3-2-1 charts, I wonder and I think charts, Venn diagrams, and many more. Quizzes, written paragraphs and summaries, ticket out the door, group presentations, and informal discussions are just a few of the ways that teachers can formatively assess their students.

I will be sure to make charts throughout certain units for each student to keep track of misconceptions. Some of the information that I gather may be in my head for the most part, but I will transfer the information to each students' chart. I will also have a portfolio for my students' work and it will be sent home in a folder every Thursday or Friday. I will have the students sign off that they went through the work. I will also make comments on each students folder updating parents of progress each week, what the student has done well and what the student needs to work on. With the information that I keep for my class over the year, I will compare it with the other teachers in my grade to compare it with the progress of those students. If there is a consistent misunderstanding in my class but not in the other class, I will get ideas from the other teachers to see if that is a better way to get the concept across to my students. A lot of the time, it is hard to keep track easily of all of the individual students' work by just noting it in your head. This is why SmartPhones would be a great way to better document the students' needs. I can guess being in a classroom can be overwhelming at times and teachers are more than likely going to forget some things, but when it comes to student progress, this should be monitored and recorded carefully. On the iPhone, there is a notepad that is very easy to use so I would jot down some things that I needed to remember about individual students and misconceptions that the class may have as a whole. I could also make use of the calendar on the phone to schedule appointments with individual students. I know that teachers have a lot on their plates so doing this,even if only a 15 minutes meeting is needed, it will be easy to know when this can happen. Teachers will not need to remember it for later. Teachers can also use the smartphone to take pictures of work that students do, and they can email it to themselves right from the phone. If students do great work or not so great work, teachers can take photos of this work and send it right away to parents' email. Smartphones are great because they are instant and can make people aware of things so much faster than setting up times to meet or sending folders home with work. I still think that those things are needed, but this is a good option for teachers when they need to do something quick. With Smartphones, teachers can take pictures of work, make electronic folders for each student on the computer, and have it to just keep adding to it throughout the year. This way, teachers do not always have to have all of the students' papers with them, but it can all be accessible from the computer. This can be helpful so teachers can go away on trips or just to the doctor's office but can also work with students' work.


 * March 27, 2011**
 * Field Trip to Solar Powered Farm**

Before going to the farm in Taylorsville, I would have my students research different kinds of energy resources. The students could get into groups of 3 or 4 and they would research on the internet different types of energy from the specific [|websites] given to them. That website gives the students access to 5 different pages that are very helpful for this project. They can then pick three resources other than solar energy and tell one pro and one con of using that form of energy. This activity will make students aware of the issues surrounding some of these resources and will hook them at the field trip the next day. The groups could then informally present their findings to the class. The students could also watch this [|video] to introduce them to solar power and how it works. It may be a little complicated, but they could get an idea of how it works so they are not completely lost during the tour. I would also read this [|book] written by Tea Benduhn to the class before going on the field trip since the video may be a little too complex for the fourth grade to understand completely.

I think that fourth grade would be an appropriate age level to take a field trip to this solar farm. This would be appropriate for fourth grade because this is the year that the students learn all about North Carolina and the resources that are available throughout the state. This can be connected to the NCSCOS for the fourth grade in social studies competency goal 6 and objective **6.01-** Explain the relationship between unlimited wants and limited resources and **6.04** Assess how the state's natural resources are being used. It also can address this one, **7.04** Analyze the effect of technology on North Carolina citizens today. Math- **2.01** Develop strategies to determine the area of rectangles and the perimeter of plane figures. **5.01** Identify, describe, and generalize relationships in which:


 * 1) Quantities change proportionally.
 * 2) Change in one quantity relates to change in a second quantity.

﻿At the farm that day, students will be taken on a tour of the farm while looking for answers to some of their previous questions that they developed while researching before the field trip. Since this farm obviously connects to science and social studies, the teacher will guide them in these ways but will also connect their learning to math. The students will work on estimating and measuring large numbers and will develop a stronger number sense. The students will estimate how many houses and buildings that this one solar energy farm powers. The teacher will have them look closely at the solar panels and then they can estimate about how many panels they think there are on the farm. The students will also have concepts of how time works to help this farm. Students will note that at the time of day that they are at the farm how the panels are aligned with the sun. The teacher will ask the students if they realize that the sun moves to different parts of the sky at different points during the day.

An activity that the students will do is, they will have to find the area and the perimeter of the farm. They will also find the area and perimeter of the rectangular solar panels. The students will have their own notebooks and will record their findings by asking the tour guide about the measurements. After the students have gathered this information, they will come back home and create a drawing of their own solar panel farm. They will be able to draw a down-scale version of the farm and will record measurements and have the necessary key to explain the drawing. They will then have a description of the different buildings in their created imaginary town and describe how the solar farm powers them and helps them run efficiently.

Describe at least one pro and one con to using alternate forms of energy Compare and contrast solar energy to other forms of energy. Give one pro and one con about solar energy. Explain how this solar farm works by giving an example of what it does. Create in a drawing their own solar farm with a description of the farm and its measurements.
 * Students will be able to**:


 * February 24, 2011**
 * "Connecting Music and Math"**

Even though I am not very musically talented, music has always been a big part of my learning. When I was growing up, my mother would sing me songs to get me through my asthma treatments, and I would sing those songs with her when I was very little. Music is great to use in the classroom when teaching concepts that are important for students to memorize and recall. Songs can be very repetitive and allow children to remember the words because of the patterns. When I began researching math and music, I found a huge variety of songs related to math. There were songs about addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. There were even songs for higher level math such as algebra and geometry. I found a good [|website] that separates grade levels and gives particular songs that teach the concepts that are to be taught in that grade. The concept of counting in the younger years can be taught by using music. In music, notes can be different counts. There can be a 1 count note or a 4 count note. Students can learn to count when listening for how long the note is held out in a song. Here is a [|lesson] that represents this counting and addition concept very well. Patterns are another concept that is very easily related to math and music. Patterns are repeated, and can incorporate math and music. In elementary school, my teacher taught us to say patterns in music like "Ti Ta Ta, Ti Ta Ta" and this really helped us understand patterns. We were able to guess what words would come next. I learned from another [|website] how similar math and music really are. Pieces of music are broken up into measures, which represent the same amount of time. Measures are split into beats. Music uses fractions to describe how long or short a note is. The symbols that are used in music are very closely related to the symbols used in mathematics because they all represent something. Fractions, patterns, and differentiating between symbols in math and music could all be taught using music and mathematics.
 * Content:**

In my first grade classroom at Meadowlark Elementary School, my teacher uses a lot of auditory activities to help ingrain concepts, ideas, and facts into the students' heads. My teacher also incorporates kinesthetic movements with the music to solidify concepts. When students were learning how to count by 5s, the teacher and students sung a song that helped them remember how to do so. On every number that ended with a 5 (5, 15, 25,35,45 etc) the students would sing those and raise their hands above their heads. When the number that they said ended in a 0, they punched the air. Activities like these are good ways to engage students and keep them interested in a topic that would not necessarily be very interesting. Music is also a great way to introduce a topic and focus the students on the topic. The teacher could use the smartboard to present a sample piece of music to the class and could describe the different components. If there is a smartboard program that the teacher could use, the students could interact. For example, if there is a music note that represents one count, and another note that represents a 2 or 4 count, the students could figure out how many of the 1 count notes would be needed to make a 4 count note. This would also get students comfortable with using symbols to represent certain things, but would need to be introduced later since it is more abstract. She could then relate those components to different topics in mathematics as well. A lot children need multiple representations of material, so I think that students would be more capable of recognizing certain patterns when singing them aloud, clapping on every other beat in the pattern, and having a visual in front of them.
 * Pedagogy:**

There are many ways that you can use technology when teaching math through music in the classroom. The teacher can use simple technology such as CD players, iPods, and movies. Smartboard technology is another way that music can be incorporated into math learning. There are also an overwhelming amount of apps on the iTunes store that help with math learning. I found one app called [|Sing your Times Tables with Percy Parker]. This application using songs to help children remember multiplication tables through repetition, but also uses visual cues to help children. I also learned from my Diverse Learners paper that children may concentrate on their work better when there is light classical music playing in the background. I will definitely keep this in mind when I am teaching.
 * Technology**

When talking about music, we can relate this topic to noise pollution. Noise pollution is defined as "any excessive, displeasing human, animal, or machine created environmental noise that disrupts the activity or balance of human or animal life" (Wikepedia). The teacher could talk about how most music is very pleasing to people, but noise pollution made by cars, other modes of transportation, and more machines is not pleasing to us. The teacher could ask the students different ways that people could reduce this type of pollution. This may be a harder concept for younger children to grasp, but teachers could definitely introduce this topic to students.
 * Sustainability:**

There are many different ways that teachers could assess learning throughout (formative) these activities and after (summative) these activities. Teachers could make check over work and ask questions throughout the different activities to make sure there are no misconceptions. She could have students work at the Smartboard and see how they complete the steps of the math problems. The application that I picked allows teachers to see questions that the students got right or wrong. The teacher could have the students use the app in front of her for individual assessment.
 * Assessment:**


 * February 1, 2011**
 * "Counting on Estimating..."**

My question: How many students work out at the Miller Center on a given weekday?


 * Content**: This question works perfectly when talking about estimation because it would be very hard for someone to count exactly how many students came to the gym and worked out on a certain day. To get an exact number, someone would need to be counting every time a student came through the entrance of the gym. It may get confusing because the person observing would need to differentiate between students and faculty and staff. You would also need to make clear whether or not the observation includes undergraduate students and graduate students. You would also need to be careful that you did not count the same people more than once even if they did move between the cardio room and the weight room. An estimate of the number of students that work out at the Miller Center daily would be a much easier task. Estimation allows a person to give a ballpark range when trying to figure out how many students come to the gym every day. This question definitely relates directly to the topic that we learned about in class this past week because it is asking someone to guess around how many people work out at the gym every day. This question could also relate to science in a way because it could allow us to gauge in part how healthy our campus is. You could integrate the lesson by talking about health and nutrition for college-aged students and talk about having a balance of eating healthy and exercising regularly. If the majority of our students work out in relation to the total population of students that attend Wake Forest University, then we could possibly make the claim that our campus likes to stay fit. I know that estimating the number of people who work out at the Miller Center excludes a lot of the other places that people work out such as running outside, running on the track, swimming at the pool, and people who work out at Reynolds Gym, this could still be a good activity when learning about estimation. You could also relate this to social studies because figuring out how many people work out could add to learning about the local culture and community at Wake Forest. You could describe if Wake promotes an active lifestyle or a sedentary lifestyle and figure out the norm. When connecting this to literacy, you could find a book that relates to a balanced lifestyle that describes good ways to exercise and also explain how to eat right.


 * Pedagogy:** When doing this activity, each person needs to make an estimate of about how many students work out at the Miller Center every day. After the estimate is made, the teacher could split the students up into pairs. Since each person has a partner, the class could split up times throughout the day of when to go to the gym and count the students. A pair would need to be there in the morning when the gym opens and then the class could come in shifts. Since the gym is opened for 16 hours, you could have each pair stay for about a 2 hour shift each. Each pair could sit at the front of the gym and count when each person comes in the gym. There could be a sheet that each pair passes on to the pair at the next shift. When the day is over, the last pair could keep the total sheet and bring it into class the next day. The class could total the numbers and see who had the closest estimate to the real number. The class as a whole could then discuss reasons why the gym might be crowded or not so crowded.


 * Technology:** Instead of using a sheet of paper like I stated before, people could use google docs to record tallies of people during certain shifts. This would be an easier way for students in the class to keep track of all of the numbers, would give them easy access, and would help save paper. Google docs are very easy to edit and would make the job a lot easier. Also, students could use their smartphones as well since there are many different programs on the phones to record data and take notes.[|Google Docs]


 * Sustainability:** This may be a stretch but we could relate this estimation lesson to sustainability since we are talking about estimating how many people use the gym facility and we could see how many people use the machines there. Since these machines do run on electricity, we could talk about how much power is used just to keep the gym running. We could also talk about more efficient ways to power the gym, and maybe to get even more creative, estimate how much money we could save by using more energy efficient machines after a little bit of research is done.

I found an online [|activity] from pbskids.org that is called "Estimation Contraption." This activity could be a fun way to assess children's estimation skills as an entire class. The teacher could put this activity on the Smartboard and she could call up one student at a time. There are multiple levels of estimation and there is a timer that holds students accountable. I also found an [|application] that could go along with the healthy balanced life integration of my lesson. It is an app for the iPhone that tracks calories that people eat daily and keeps track of the exercise you do as well as the calories your burn during the day. This app is more appropriate for adults, but it could still be presented in class and can be shown to the students so they can understand how it works. I found a great [|estimation video] on youtube. It could be a fun introduction activity for students when beginning to learn about estimation. The song is very catchy and could get students interested in estimating different real-life things.


 * January 23, 2011**
 * "Less than, More than, Scarcity, and Abundance"**

In class on Thursday, our assignment was to go around campus and ask people the questions, "What do we have too much of on our campus?" and "What do we have too little of on our campus?" Before my group went around to ask others these questions, we decided on the things that we thought Wake Forest has too much of and what we do not have enough of. We decided that there is too much emphasis on money and the business school. We also determined that there is not enough seating in the Pit and there are not enough dining options. With the increase in the student population at Wake, there has been little done to improve or increase the dining options on campus. There are also not enough outlets in the library for as much computer usage that students do on this campus. we interviewed and undergraduate student, and graduate student, and a professor. The professor had a different opinion than the undergrad and the grad student by saying that there is too much speeding on this campus. The grad and undergrad student both said that there is not enough parking or dining options.

This activity can be easily related to mathematics while teaching students the importance of numbers in the world around them. It can give them the sense of what things are focused on the most in their community and what things are overlooked. Students are able to hear different perspectives and opinions from various sources. When trying to apply this to a first grade classroom, a teacher could send children home with a pre-made sheet of paper with different items that could be found in the home. Such items could be televisions, computers, lamps, tables, beds, pillows, chairs, windows, doors, etcetera. The students could count all of the different items and report back to the class the next day. The teacher and the class could put all of the top items on the board and figure out if any students had more electronics or other things in their homes. We could also relate this activity to social studies since parking is a big problem at Wake. Teachers could talk to students about other ways people can get to school in the mornings and get home from school in the afternoon. The class could talk about the community and how people get to and from places with alternative forms of transportation such as bikes, shuttles, walking, and scooters. Science could be incorporated as well when talking about transportation. Teachers could discuss pollution and how people in the community can make our environment healthier by using other forms of transportation than cars. The teacher would obviously speak about this topic on the appropriate age level. Here is an activity a teacher could do in the classroom that deals with pollution. [] Here is a video that could be shown to children about pollution: [] In literacy, the teacher could read a book about different forms of transportation. I found a book online that requires the children to decide which mode of transportation the main character can take. It involves guessing and counting as well, from what I could see from the reviews. Here is a link to the book: [] Another book that deals with adding and subtracting could be used in the literacy part of the class as well. It is called, "Rooster's Off to See the World" written by Eric Carle. []

The activity that we were required to do forced us to be active to find the answers to the questions. The teacher did not tell us the answer, but she made our groups go outside on campus to ask various people what they thought. This group work is a constructivist teaching style. I think that this is a great way to make children really think about what they are learning. It also helps students incorporate things from their own environment back to the activity in the classroom.

The technology that we used on our smartphones is definitely a great way to keep track of the information that we obtained throughout the assignment. We were required to use different technology in the smartphones such as videos, note taking, pictures, and the GPS. Students will definitely stay interested in an activity when it can be related to the things that they use everyday such as a cellphone or a computer. I know that I found out some really cool things about my iPhone in this project that I would not have learned otherwise. It makes children technologically savvy which is needed nowadays to succeed. We are preparing students as best we can for the future.

Sustainability is very easily related to the topic of "Less than, More than, Scarcity, and Abundance." Earlier, when I talked about pollution from transportation that we use, the teacher could talk about using resources responsibly such as gasoline, oil, water and other natural resources. There are so many resources that may eventually run out in our world if we are not careful. Teachers can talk about the resources that we use more than others when relating it back to our topic of scarcity and abundance.

I found an application available for the iPhone and the iPad that is called "Math Magic." This app allows children to do math problems with addition and subtraction while being rewarded for correct answers in different ways. This app encourages children to learn about addition and subtraction and really helps develop a firm foundation with addition and subtraction by using pictures in the problems. [] I found an online assessment that a teacher could use toward the end of the class. This assessment focuses on numbers and comparisons, if they are greater than or less than each other. The teacher could display this game on the smartboard and ask individuals to do one problem in front of the class. This is exciting for a lot of students to be able to do work on the smartboard. [] I found another video from "Sesame Street" that portrays to children that math is very important in many different facets of life. This video shows math in different ways in a short, fun, and appealing video. It will keep the students' attention since it is short, and after watching the video, the teacher could ask the students what they saw that the children were doing that had to do with math. [|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YgP1n1kPI0]