Okay...so according to my last post, boys do not like fairytales- well guess what?! They did today and it was the greatest day EVER! See, apparently they like fairy tales when they have something to do with drama...and primary kids LOOOOVE drama- especially my kids! So when I had them pretend to BE fairy tale characters and interview their friends (who were other characters), they thought it was the greatest idea ever. They would not stop bugging me all day: "Miss Kalisz is it time for our interviews yet?" "Miss Kalisz, do we have to do reading? When can we do interviews?" "Is it time for us to do drama yet???"- this went on all day...until it was "time"....
And it was fabulous! Kids were on the floor CRYING because some of the dramatizations were hilarious- one little girl (or should I say, Rumpelstiltskin) actually hunched over, made her voice raspy, and started talking to the audience about how she promises NOT to steal their babies- brilliant! My associate and I even conducted our own interview (with him being a princess of course- this was payback for the "African Dance" fiasco)- the kids loved it!
The kids were great- even the shyest kids and the BOYS completely surprised me- it was such a great day because we all had a lot of fun....and it showed me that even though not all of my fairy tale activities were "loved", this one day made up for it all :)
Friday, November 16, 2007
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
Note to Self: Boys do NOT like fairy tales!
So I learned a very valuable lesson this week: 8 year old boys do not like fairy tales- they hear the word fairy and they freak out. Another word that they hate? Princess. Again...these are things I learned this week AFTER I had created a whole one-week unit based on fairy tales...I figured one week I would teach about fables, another week I would let the students enter into the wonderful and magical word of castles and dragons and princes and princesses....nope...boys didn't go for it. So today I "gave in" and allowed "Disney", t.v show and biblical characters enter into the lesson- this is called quick thinking, and adapting lessons to your students' needs- as much as I do NOT believe that Spongebob Squarepants should be called a "classic" fairy tale character, I somehow made him fit into the lesson...which just goes to show, teachers must ALWAYS be ready to change their lessons at the blink of an eye....
So to all of you future grade 3 teachers here is a friendly hint for you: Fables = GREAT gender neutral topic...fairytales? Yeah...go with some Robert Munsch instead ;)
So to all of you future grade 3 teachers here is a friendly hint for you: Fables = GREAT gender neutral topic...fairytales? Yeah...go with some Robert Munsch instead ;)
Saturday, November 10, 2007
Memories
I decided that I'm going to go past the "required" number of posts because I need some way of remembering my time at Stevensville- and this blog is the perfect way of doing it. I don't want to forget some of the more memorable times I've shared with my associate and my kids, so I'm going to continue to write about them here, so I'll always have the memories (I'm a huge sap- I'm already anticipating the tears I will shed during my last week).
On Friday I taught my kids a drama lesson- I came in wearing the "loudest" outfit I could find, brought a giant drum, and had my kids dancing and prancing and stomping and jumping and bouncing around the room- I had transformed the room into a jungle, and my kids into the animals- I taught them about tableaus and how to use their faces to show great expressions. I let them use their imaginations, and for the last 2 minutes their loud "animal" voices to express themselves- after my lesson, two little girls came up to me with hugs and said thank you...it felt so rewarding because I didnt even really feel like I did anything that great- but to them, it was great.
Highlight of my day? Last period: My associate brings the kids into a room into the library and tells them we are going to do a drama activity on improvisation. The kids were to pretend they were an expert on a certain topic (chosen by the teacher), and they would have to give an impromptu speech on this topic. The kids were a bit confused, so my teacher decided it would be hilarious if I was the first "expert"- First of all, public speaking causes a bit of anxiety in me so I was having a bit of a panic attack at first (haha)- His introduction: "Coming all the way to you from Africa, we have a famous African dancer, Miss Kalisz!"- Oh dear god...what was I going to do? So I stand up there and my kids are laughing in their seats- they can't stop- Then? Somehow I started making things up off the top of my head, and the next thing I know, I'm performing an "African Monkey Dance" for them, as they are laughing their heads off.
That day I was their teacher, but I also became human in their eyes, because I feel as though they saw me in a different light- and I feel I earned their respect by making a fool of myself in front of them- my associate loved it so hopefully that'll show in my evaluation somewhere ;) (haha)...
Hopefully next week will be just as memorable...Candace, I cant wait for you to meet my munchkins!
On Friday I taught my kids a drama lesson- I came in wearing the "loudest" outfit I could find, brought a giant drum, and had my kids dancing and prancing and stomping and jumping and bouncing around the room- I had transformed the room into a jungle, and my kids into the animals- I taught them about tableaus and how to use their faces to show great expressions. I let them use their imaginations, and for the last 2 minutes their loud "animal" voices to express themselves- after my lesson, two little girls came up to me with hugs and said thank you...it felt so rewarding because I didnt even really feel like I did anything that great- but to them, it was great.
Highlight of my day? Last period: My associate brings the kids into a room into the library and tells them we are going to do a drama activity on improvisation. The kids were to pretend they were an expert on a certain topic (chosen by the teacher), and they would have to give an impromptu speech on this topic. The kids were a bit confused, so my teacher decided it would be hilarious if I was the first "expert"- First of all, public speaking causes a bit of anxiety in me so I was having a bit of a panic attack at first (haha)- His introduction: "Coming all the way to you from Africa, we have a famous African dancer, Miss Kalisz!"- Oh dear god...what was I going to do? So I stand up there and my kids are laughing in their seats- they can't stop- Then? Somehow I started making things up off the top of my head, and the next thing I know, I'm performing an "African Monkey Dance" for them, as they are laughing their heads off.
That day I was their teacher, but I also became human in their eyes, because I feel as though they saw me in a different light- and I feel I earned their respect by making a fool of myself in front of them- my associate loved it so hopefully that'll show in my evaluation somewhere ;) (haha)...
Hopefully next week will be just as memorable...Candace, I cant wait for you to meet my munchkins!
Tuesday, November 6, 2007
What a great first day!
I was extremely nervous prior to today- it was our first OFFICIAL day teaching, and even though I was only going to teach one lesson, it was my first "real" lesson in front of my associate. I have to say (I know this sounds stupid), but today was one of the proudest days I've ever had.
Prior to my lesson I went over some of "Miss K's Classroom Rules" with the kids, and I reminded them that I will be teaching all month. The boys (who usually boo just to get a laugh) actually cheered- it warmed my heart :) This introduction allowed me to make a statement in front of the class, and it let the students know exactly what to expect over the next month.
My lesson (on fables) was well-received, and after school, my teacher gave me some GREAT tips about what went great and what I should do for next time (mainly coming up with an extra activity for those students who finish much earlier than the others)- I ended up making things up off the top of my head for them to do and was later commended on my ability to "think quickly on my feet" (and to think, I thought I looked unprofessional!)
Perhaps the biggest highlight of my day was during indoor recess- the kids were being very rambunctious, so to maintain order (and to let them get out some of their crazy energy), I put on the "Macarena" and we danced together. The best part? : When my associate walked into the classroom, saw us dancing, and actually joined in. It was hilarious, and definitely made my day (and perhaps even my month!)
I hope everyone had a great day today, and hopefully the days just keep getting better!
Prior to my lesson I went over some of "Miss K's Classroom Rules" with the kids, and I reminded them that I will be teaching all month. The boys (who usually boo just to get a laugh) actually cheered- it warmed my heart :) This introduction allowed me to make a statement in front of the class, and it let the students know exactly what to expect over the next month.
My lesson (on fables) was well-received, and after school, my teacher gave me some GREAT tips about what went great and what I should do for next time (mainly coming up with an extra activity for those students who finish much earlier than the others)- I ended up making things up off the top of my head for them to do and was later commended on my ability to "think quickly on my feet" (and to think, I thought I looked unprofessional!)
Perhaps the biggest highlight of my day was during indoor recess- the kids were being very rambunctious, so to maintain order (and to let them get out some of their crazy energy), I put on the "Macarena" and we danced together. The best part? : When my associate walked into the classroom, saw us dancing, and actually joined in. It was hilarious, and definitely made my day (and perhaps even my month!)
I hope everyone had a great day today, and hopefully the days just keep getting better!
Saturday, November 3, 2007
It's happening!
I have to say, I'm SO excited about this next upcoming month. I think it will definitely be an experience to remember, and I'm so glad I'll finally get to see what a whole month looks like in the classroom.
On Friday my associate and I were preparing for my month at Stevensville. We came up with ideas about how I will teach my first unit (on fairytales and fables), and how I will incorporate other areas of the curriculum (mainly art and drama) into this. We also moved the desks around in the classroom to "start fresh". My associate moves the desks around every month so the students get a chance to sit with other people, and don't always sit beside their friends who they like to chat with. During this time, my associate decided it was a good idea to move my desk (I have my own big desk in the class at the back of the room) to the front of the room (which I wasnt planning on doing until next week) so the students could see it being moved so they would realize that I will now be their teacher as well. The students were asking why my desk was being moved so it gave me a great opening to explain to them that I will now be teaching them everyday along with their normal teacher. It was so heartwarming to see how exciting the students were to hear this (especially my girls) so it just makes me even more excited about this upcoming month.
Good luck everyone! :)
On Friday my associate and I were preparing for my month at Stevensville. We came up with ideas about how I will teach my first unit (on fairytales and fables), and how I will incorporate other areas of the curriculum (mainly art and drama) into this. We also moved the desks around in the classroom to "start fresh". My associate moves the desks around every month so the students get a chance to sit with other people, and don't always sit beside their friends who they like to chat with. During this time, my associate decided it was a good idea to move my desk (I have my own big desk in the class at the back of the room) to the front of the room (which I wasnt planning on doing until next week) so the students could see it being moved so they would realize that I will now be their teacher as well. The students were asking why my desk was being moved so it gave me a great opening to explain to them that I will now be teaching them everyday along with their normal teacher. It was so heartwarming to see how exciting the students were to hear this (especially my girls) so it just makes me even more excited about this upcoming month.
Good luck everyone! :)
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)
