Welcome to SED 330 and EDU 435

Hello Everyone,

I look forward to working with all of you this semester.
The start of the school season has been a very busy one. My focus this week is getting introduced into the classroom and beginning to complete as much course work as possible. The main goal is to stay ahead. One thing I am very proud of this week was to attend my first meeting held for all teachers in Rutherford County Schools. The meeting was mostly about the etiquette of a teacher and a new phonics program which is being introduced to the schools. My CT and I will learn together as it is completely new for her as well. On Wednesday, I attended my first faculty meeting at Forrest Hunt Elementary which is where I will be student teaching. I am very grateful to Mrs. Ash, the principle, for allowing me to attend these meetings. The more experience I will get the better I will be prepared for student teaching.  The thing I was satisfied most was about this week was the picture of what I thought science was to me. What a great way to interest students in my classroom. Most children love art and that would be a great way for them to think critically, but have fun at the same time. I will have to remember that technique for my future classroom.
One aspect of the first-grade classroom, I am excited about is our new phonics program which was discussed at Tuesday's meeting. Students learn how to relate to the sounds and letters by comparing pictures with letters. All of Rutherford County schools are switching to the program for the lower grades because students are so much more engaged with the Letterland programs. The lesson plans are actually on the canvas website of the school so that each teacher can access them. In order for students to make progress in other grades, it is crucial for them to come out of first grade knowing how to read. The Letterland software focuses on the student's understanding of the material while the previous software had focused on the completion of the material. The goal now is for students to learn the material, not to just complete the material.  Below is the official website of Letterland.
http://www.letterland.com/letter-sounds
Several experiences which I have had this week relate to the NCTCS standards. First of all, in order to be a teacher, you must be a leader. Evidence of my clinical teacher's leadership is evident. She buys many things out of pocket for her classroom so it will meet her student's needs. Another standard is teachers facilitate learning. Mrs. Henderson will use the new phonics technology Letterland in her classroom. Each student will have apps about letters and on their iPad which accounts for the technology part.
My reflection on the connections made to NCTCS is one of great respect for our teachers in North Carolina. They spend their hard earned money for their classrooms so that their children can succeed in the classroom. They truly are some of the unsung heroes of the time. I plan to be one of those teachers as well. Teachers take owner ship of their classrooms wanting everything to be the best that it can be all for their students. Teachers facilitate learning by using technology so that students are able to go at their own pace with Ipads. Teachers will make sure the majority of students know the material before moving on to the next step. Mrs. Henderson, my CT, told me that she will try to work with those who are struggling separately so that those students can succeed.
My struggle this week so far is getting to know everyone at Forrest Hunt and trying to remember their names. What makes it more difficult is that my CT refers to them by their first names, since they are her colleagues. Of course, out of deep respect, it is only proper that I call them by their last names. As for the course itself, my main struggle is getting adjusted to the class and finding my footing so to speak on all of the information I need to learn. To correct my struggle, I am writing down teachers names so I will not forget them. I am looking into the class blackboard in detail and writing down dates into my calendar so due dates will not be a surprise.
My action steps for next week is to definitely be in the classroom the first day of school. I think it is crucial for students to start seeing my face as often as possible. Right now my action plan for schools, which I plan to tell my teacher this afternoon is every Mondays and Wednesdays, full days, I plan to be in the classroom. I am sure I will be there more than that, but I want to have set times set aside in which my teacher can expect me.  I will also get with my teacher on some good topics for science in her classroom. My main goal is to work ahead as much as possible so that I will not get behind in class.
My blog is probably the major contribution for science methods this week. I have tried to share with all of you how much I am learning in the classroom. I am very fortunate to have a great CT who is willing to share everything and anything to me. I cannot thank Gardner-Webb and the school system enough for allowing me to get to know her before I begin student teaching next spring. I could not imagine what a burden that would be to go into student teaching not knowing the students nor the teacher. Next week I plan to give a thought provoking blog of what happened on the first day of school. I will do my best to help my colleagues out by providing through blogs and discussion board posts.
The outside learning which I have completed for this week is Letterland.   This is such a great tool for our students because they can listen to songs, watch videos, read books, identify things which start with the same letter, and so forth. Click the different letters. Every letter will pronounce the sound. There are special Letterland books, that whenever you take a picture of it with your Ipad, the picture comes to life on the screen.
For my research topic, I have recently finished my collection of I Survive children's books. These are great books for science, history, and language arts. Many schools are able to use them in different categories. I actually was able to look lesson plans on I Survived the Eruption of Mt. St Helena. 1980.   Though the product cost it does contribute to science in that students can learn more about volcanoes and how destructive they can be.
https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/I-Survived-the-Eruption-of-Mount-St-Helens-1980-Mega-Pack-2788938
For complete scientific thinking, the current event which I am sure you will all agree with was the awesome eclipse on Monday. In connecting what we saw to a scientific method, I would base my component on the field of observation. We looked and observed one of the nature's awesome wonders. NCTCS connects with the science I have learned this week because teachers are leaders within their field. They learn to teach new information and look for new ideas. Many teachers looked at the eclipse on Monday. That would be a great learning tool they could share with their students and start a new unit on space.
Happy Days with Twitter

My first tweet is a post showing pictures of students going to see actual Letterland characters at Tweetsie Railroad in Blowing Rock, North Carolina. Each letter has a character. For example, "a" is called Annie Apple. Students can see their favorite Letterland characters during the month of May.

Here are pictures of students doing Letterland inside their classrooms. The top picture on the left hand side is my favorite because the students seem to enjoy their phonics lesson. I look forward to videoing my students in the act of phonics. I love it when students can have fun and learn at the same time.

I collect books as a hobby, therefore I am always interested in new books on the market. These books are for children, but they discuss different science subjects which relate to their everyday world. These six books focus on sound, light, erosion, matter, heat, and the weather.
What can I do with all the information I have learned this week for my future classroom? I will take the principles of what I have learned about Letterland to apply to my own future classroom. If I do receive a lower grade, I will already know how to work the software. I will also keep Tweetsie Railroad in mind for a future field trip. Students would love to see their characters from letters. I also want to remember those science books and the Mt. St. Helena lesson plan. Both school devices would be great for a science unit.

I would like to apologize for my post being so long. I have combined two blogs into one because I am in EDU 435. I hope all of you have a great week.