Last waak in teaching practice

The third week of teaching practice was mixtures of different activities that linked with the theme of national day. One of the activities was similar to the UAE’s sandwich but this one with different colored cakes, coconut, date and Oreo and the students made the flag using those different foods.

Another activity was planting the union tree and we stick the flags next to it. The children loved the activity and they were talking about their trees at home and who planted them. At the end of the activity I asked the children what the tree needs to be a live they answered water, sand, sun and air.

The last activity was making a design for the classroom using the color of the UAE flag. The children needed more structured learning at the beginning about the place of each color and how to use the paint and brush.

Reflection - third week

Hop lesson (Numeracy) third week of TP

In this lesson I tried to use technology that I have in the hop in order to introduce the new pattern for the children(ABBA).

Whole:

The children were excited about the place and I was happy to give them the chance to be in different class with different materials which could encourage their learning. For the pre, I planned to use the computer where the children can see a short video clip about patterns and then play a game in the smart board. The mistake that I have done is that the computer was not working and I wait for the man tell he finish but I should start with the activities that I have until he finish which I did but late. Another thing, the game was connected with the video clip, when the video finish the game starts automatically, which was not supportive for my timing issue because I wanted to let other group of children to play the game. One solution could be is preparing similar activity in case for similar issues. I liked the way that I tried to manage the children behavior, I think I have improved on this part were all the children have to put their hands up to answer, sit nicely and follow the rules. I also liked the  part that I let the children use TPR while they were watching the video and I integrated with the pattern (wiggle, wiggle, hop).

Small:

I have a small activity where the child could depend on himself to complete it after my guide. The activity was about having the children’s pictures and long rolled paper where the specific group sort them self’s in the patterns of girl, girl, boy, girl, girl, boy and so on. I chose this activity because I put in my mind that it is a new place where I need to monitor all the children and walk around to make sure that they are safe, in right place or ding the right thing by following the rules. One problem was that in the second group some of the children were not able to understand that we are doing patterns while in the first group some children mention it and the other get it right away. So in the next time at the beginning of any new aspect I will have mixed ability groups where the children help and support each other learning by sharing. I liked the way that the first group was engaged and the way that I cover the areas in the class by going around and talking to the children, give them choices, lead them to the places that they should be in and I avoid the mistake that I did last lesson where all the children were walking and running around.

Last whole is my weakness that I should cover in the next semester because I spend one minute reflecting on what we did and then I switched to the activities that I used in the pre!!!!

Thursday was an enjoyable day 22-11-2012

 

On Thursday we have lots of fun activates for numeracy and literacy. Firstly, Ms. S, Ms. B and I have started the day with routine like what is the day, date, how many boys, how many girls, how many all together and the seven days’ song.  Secondly, we have explained for the children what they are going to do during the day, which were creating our own UAE’s flag sandwich in the literacy, outdoor play time, creating a necklace with patterns using breakfast cereals and music class.  

 

Literacy lesson:

I started the literacy lesson by asking the children about what they think we are going to do with Ms. B, what things we are going to use, in what colors those things are, how many things we have and so on and then the Arabic teacher asked some questions about what is happening in the town, what they are seeing in the streets and roundabouts, what are the colors in our flag and so on.

Then she modeled the activity for the children by telling them what they are going to use and how they are going to do it. After that we let the children take the activity over and do their own UAE’s flag sandwich. I monitored the children and I was asking them about the right order of the flag in their sandwich and how many vegetables they have used for each color like how many olives, how many tomato…ect.

 

Numeracy lesson:

The children created their own nickels using breakfast cereals.  The problems that I thought of before we started that the children want to eat the cereal during the activity so I told them that they are allow eating 3 of the cereals but they can eat more if they did their nickels in pattern and they sit on the carpet.

Another problem was that three of the children were not able to do patterns so I take this chance to use peer work so I asked Saif Taleb to help Rashed and Hamda to help Saif Abdulla. That’s was really a good desetion to make because the two children did their nickels with their frieds halp not my but I was scaffolding their learning at the end.

 

 

 

 

Third numeracy lesson- second week- second part of TP

Today lesson was much better that yesterday because I go through the rules of being in a corner,  how to play, how to use our voices and repeat that if you break the rules you have you will be moved to the yellow, no sticker  and you will be not allowed to use this corner next day.

 For my small group activity I take 3 students as a beginning so other children apply the rules in the corner so they get place in my corner to do the activity. In the first group 2 children were able to print their two hands to make the ten fingers patterns of two colors from their choose but one child could not do one hand appropriately so I decided for the next group to have one hand print .


 For the first group my instructions were two steps 1 to color finger with X color and the next with Y and so on and how to put it in the paper but for the next group my instructions get better and more detailed and numbered. For example, first we put the hand that we write with up and the other hand we will work on it and color it second, after we finished we will put our hand on the paper and count to 5 and take it off third, do not put your hand on the paper until Ms. Asma see it and said yes ok go ahead in order to see their pattern and scaffold their learning. Moreover, For the second group I did my assessment to see who needs more support in learning patterns and who is ok.

At the end of the lesson I was surprised that I have the same list of children that they need support as my MST so for tomorrow when I have my focus group those children on the list will be with high ability children doing the same activity for example if I have 4 students three will be high and one will be from the list.

The Day of Rules X_X

Yesterday was a busy day because the children in these two weeks were not following the rules at all even with repetition and changing the rewards. As teachers we decided to have activities just for the rules in Tuesday. In the circle time the student were talking about how we sit on the carpet, where to put our hands and legs and so on. We also played the game of being in corners and hearing the weasel… what should we do? They imitate that they clean up and sit on the carpet after they finished. After that the children have had the chance to draw the rules and express what they think.

I have tried to use the power of the positive speech, rewards and gifts. I also tried to talk to each child alone during centers and encourage them to be the star of the class where they are the leaders, helpers and model students. Another strategy I have used is to give most students job or role to do like the leader for each group to encourage other students to clean up and help them or remained the students about the rules that they should follow in the situation.

I really want to find out what is the problem or what are the problems actually that make the students out of control!

 In order to apply mu topic I really need to fix this up before the next week or find a way to avoid those problems. Some of the ways for example is to take a small group of students or have an activity that compound between the three strategies of teaching numeracy such as structured and informal for the focus group and naturalistic for the independent centers.

Reflection- second numeracy lesson- second week (second part of TP)

I was happy with the idea of the lesson which is making a pattern of strawberry and marshmallow; I thought it will be easy and simple for the children to get the idea of patterns.

In the whole I think the lesson was smooth simple and the children were under my control. I also liked how I have the children putting their hands up to answer but when we moved to the centers I think the main mistake was to have two groups doing the activity at the same time because firstly, it took less time than what I planned for and secondly, half of the class was absent so I should have one group a time.

Another problem is that when the children finished the activity with me they did not sit on the corners that I asked them but they were going around and disturb the other groups. I should at that time ask the child that I was focused on to wait and control the others and separate them or move them to the yellow (warning).

Another issue, the sticks was danger for the children but I have used this idea in the past with KG class with their English teacher’s promotion. I think from this point I should take in my mind that children are different and what they are able to do is different. in general, in the next time if I’m going to do the lesson again I will provide more extra activity and I will choose the children who are playing in good way.

Last thing to mention, in the small activity some of the children were eating the food while I was working with other children. I don’t mind if they eat but the food they were eating was belong to other children who did not done the activity yet. Positive thing that I think of this before and I provide extra one’s but the negative thing is me giving instruction and not insets on them so in the next time each child will have a plate+ 3 strawberries+ 3 Marshmallows and a stick  to work with and the rest will be out of their hand reach, I will also have a stickers because they love it to put it in their hand if they put the stick on the box or basket until we finish the lesson and they are allow to eat it.

This lesson makes me more aware of how teachers should think of problems that might happen during the lesson and provide possible solutions to solve it or switch to it in the class.  As well  I learnt that the teacher must have an extra steps in the post (end) of each activity incase that the time was less than what she though.

However, in the last whole I prepared to ask them an open question like what patterns in our life such as night and morning, three meals or five times of pray and so on but because they were so hyper active I forget to mention it. So I need to focus more in my closing time and by that I mean review what we have learnt, give open ended questions ect.

Help, please.. Any suggestions or recommendation?

 

 For the next week :

Do you recommend any good stories or songs that you try and it works with pattern lessons of numeracy ?

Third lesson- literacy

 

This lesson was done by the three teachers in the classroom. Ms. S Ms. B and I, we have a lesson about hearing and seeing and we took the children outside the school to the hill next to the building.

 

The children discover many things that they could see in the field or hear. They gave examples of the buss, cars, birds, water, tree, grass, chicken and workers.

 After we come back we classify what are the things that we heard under a picture of ear and what are the things that we saw under the picture of eye.

 

 

 As a last step we asked the children to draw a picture of those previous things (things we saw and things we have heard).

second lesson- Numeracy- second week (second part of TP)

Today I had another lesson for patterns. The whole group activity was about reviewing how to make patterns so for the whole group I sort big circles with two different colors in order to ask the children are these patterns? I correct the circles in the right patterns and then I asked them if we have boy, girl, boy what should we have next? When they answered I draw the pattern in the board. After that, we have group of children sorting up themselves in the middle of the circle.

 

On the other hand, for the focus group I have two different focus groups one with my MST where they were doing finger print in patterns put only 7 student have done it and the reset will do it tomorrow.

 

My group was letting the children chose two colors and sort it in the stick.

 I monitor each child and ask him for example, red, blue, red, blue what comes after? If the child chooses another color than the two that he already have I put the box away and then I provide the two colors in my hand for the child to choose what come next.

 

First lesson in second week of second part in TP - numeracy- introduce patterns

This is was my first time introducing a lesson for KG2, it is totally a new concept for them to learn. I think carefully in the tree days of  the weekend how can I introduce it simply and clearly.

I first refer to the calendar because they were doing days and colors through it. For example, they have purple for the 1^st of November, yellow for the 2^nd of November, and green for the 3^rd of November and so on. I ask them what the colors are in our calendar? After they answer I refer show them big cubes and ask them to complete the pattern with me. As a start I used (A, B) which means two things to put in patterns (red, green, red, green…) or (boy, girl, boy, girl, boy….). 

To conclude our whole time we make our own pattern when the first to children in the circle chose red and blue as a pattern to complete. The plate with small plastic circles were passing around and each child should think what my friend has red or blue what I should choose to complete the pattern?

For small activity I want to make sure that they got the concept at least 60% in order to build on their knowledge tomorrow with different deeper activity.

I gave the children a specific pattern of colors (A, B) to make with beads and when they have it right they can do their own one and if they did not I tried to scaffold and ask one high ability child to help explain it in Arabic.

First week-second part of TP - second lesson (numeracy)

Because the ADEC’s Aim for math and science in the first week was to count and touch or smell I decided to have an outdoor activity (individual play and informal).

 I ask the children while we were walking to name different things can be touch around us from the environment. Most of the children said sand, leaves and grass but then they were searching under the tree because there were many things to touch.

 

 I did not disturb any of the children while they were searching and collecting but sometimes I gave them reinforcement to encourage them and to show them that they are in the right track.

 

Some of my questions during the activity were like touch this one and then touch that one are they the same? Do you feel the same? can you count how many things you have collected?

In the next day we completed the activity but during the focus of the literacy’s lesson.

First lesson-literacy- part 2 of TP

12-11-2012 

 Literacy (Making play dough and using the senses 1. Tough  2. Smell)

I planned to start the lesson with the week’s letter which is /n/.  I first ask the children if they remember what letter is that (pointing to the /n/ letter on the board.

I then connected the letter with one student’s name (Noora) , I bring some of the children’s pictures and asked them does it start with /n/? for example, Nali for Ali, Nathari for Athari and so on. Then I asked them about things that starts with /n/ they told me Ms. Naseem and nose after that I introduce nurse, notebook, nose.

 I asked one child to show me the letter /n/ in the blue wall but he went to the door and point at the letter /n/ which is good. I asked another child to point in the blue wall and she did.

From this point I introduce my activity which was making play dough and adding food color to it in order to for the children to smell it. I told the students what  do we do with our nose? Eating, seeing. Smelling?

I started to divide the students into 3 groups each group with 5-6  students. I went around and I give each group amounts of flour, water, salt and oil until we finish the activity.

In this group the most important goal for me if to have the children touching and smelling. It doesn’t matter if they produce perfect play dough.

I also planned to have another activity but I think I haven’t thought carefully about the time that I will spend in reviewing the letter and doing the play dough activity.

 

 

 

Reflection

 

In general I should count this lesson as part of literacy and numeracy because it talks about smell, touch and measure the components needed. Secondly, I think if the lesson was about the letter in the whole and then in focus groups we discuss the touch and smell. Thirdly, I could provide the components needed before where each child has something do add. For example, one child will hand one cup of flour, other one will handle the slat, oil or water and so on. Finally, to save the time, I should bring some cloves and aprons so the children just take it off and sit on the carpet instead of asking them to go and wash their hands which affects the time management of observation.

Third lesson – numeracy 3rd Oct 2012

 I started the lesson with the video clip of 5 little ducks to let the children  count in new interested way for them because there is visuals and song . I have prepared other video clip, five little monkeys jumping on the bed, in case if some of the high ability children get bored with the first one. Then I got an idea to vote who wants what, who wants the first video and who wants the second video, we did like a chart o the board and we count how many said yes and how many said no. I decided to not do the focus activity because it was like  a review and the children were so tired because it was the end of the day and they were asking me to sleep and when to go home !

 I needed something to make them active and have fun in the same time!  I put number 1, 2 and three in the board and I asked 3 children a time or two children to take the picture flashcards from the magic box and stick it below the right number, in the same time I asked other children to come and help the child if he got the number wrong.

When we finish the activity and it was nearly the time for going home I let the children use their magic fingers to write the numbers in the ear.

Reflective journal

 

 I know that I have changed my plane a lot but I tried to make my lesson more about what the children need and more student center taking in my mind how to do my aim different than what I planned for!!

From this lesson I learnt how to write my lesson more carefully focusing in the time and what the children’s attitude will be like if I do certain thing  in this time with this thing.

For next time I will provide more TPR in my lessons specially when the children wants to move or go home because TPR involve the child in a way that he forget that he is in school and play with his friends like outside time.

Comparing with the first lesson in the math, this lesson was much better and much student center because I could organize the children during the circle time, I explain for the children that we are going to watch some cartoon in the computer but we should sit in our places and do not move or stand up so other children can see like us and then I told them to explain why we should do that? , moreover, before I play the clip in the computer, I asked the children that when I turn the lights that’s mean two things  we should sit still and watch what will happen to tell me later.

 

Second lesson - literacy (house) 2nd Oct 2012

 Whole – warming up:  

Materials needed: computer- video clip of (talking flashcards- my house)

1.       Show the children talking flashcards clip (YouTube- My house) , this video focus on 4 words e.g. window, door, roof and chimney .

2.       Point at different parts in the computer during the video.

3.       Repeat with the Audio the four new words.

4.       Ask the children to repeat\ try to remember  the new words.

 

Extra activity for the whole if the first activity did not fit the 15 min:

(flyswatter)

 materials needed: picture flash cards of  (window, door, roof and chimney)  -you can draw them-  sticks (as the number of students you are going to involve in the activity)

1.       Ask the children to sit nicely in the circle.

2.       Ask to children to come in the middle of the circle to model the activity for others (choose two from the high  ability once so they model it with good understanding of your instructions).

3.       Put the picture flash cards on the ground.

4.       Ask the children to point at the chimney for example and the  at the door.

5.       Ask them to be more faster so they win ( at the beginning the children will need some of the teacher guidance to hit the right picture but then they will remember two and step by step they will get it).

 

Focus activity (small groups)  15 min

A.       (flyswatter) 6-7 min

         The same process  that I have done in the whole

B.      draw a house with (window, door, roof and chimney) 6-7 min

 

1.       Ask the children to draw their house with (window, door, roof and chimney).

2.       Ask them what they have draw? How many windows they have in their pictures?

3.       Give the children the chance to express what they have drawn.

Reflective journal

Because there is no smart board in the classroom this is did not stopped me using some technology , I used the teacher computer which is near the carpet and the children can see what is display in the screen,  but there were some important issues that I should avoid next time.

1.       The way of children sitting in by that  I mean, I couldn’t organize how the children sit in front of the screen because this was like a new thing for them to have. Some of the children were standing up and some of them were walking around the class and I couldn’t control them o even see them, it was like tornado of the children in the class.

 

So for the next time I will tell the children  in Arabic that “I know that we are going to get excited and we want to see the movie but in order for me to show you the movie you should each sit in your place don’t move, don’t get closer from the screen and keep your hands for yourself … what should we do ??  (let the children say)

ask them why should we do that ?

 

2.       In the focus activity I should make sure that the picture flashcards don’t move while the children hit it because they forget about the activity and they take the flash cards away of the center. So in the next time I will have a “blue tack” at the back of each flash card where I make sure that they are stick to the tale and do not move during the activity.

3.       Because the focus activity is in one of the corners it is difficult for other groups to focus on their tasks if my group keep hitting the pictures strongly and more than one time. Next time one of the rules for this game will e hit one time and not loudly or you lose a turn. For the second group, I had different idea which is “ ask the children to put their hands up, the one that they hold the stick with, and after they hear the word I keep model for them how to hit gently.

 

4.       Actually because this is like a first time for the children to have a game in the focus it was hard for me to guess what their reaction will be and if this game will fit with their level or interest. I observed the first group and they were interest for the first 3 min  only which makes me think what should I change or add so they are engaged again?

I asked one child to be the teacher and pronounce one of the four words after I review it for them. The children become more engaged and they were waiting for their turns to e the teachers by that I hit to points at one which are first, I make them interest again and secondly, they are reviewing  the words orally and link it with the picture.

First lesson - Numeracy 1-10-2012 (Monday)

 

Aim:	Materials:
Count up to 6	Dice Small Picture cards indicate for example 2 fishes  3 cats 1 flower

 

Warming up activity: (whole) 10-15 min

A)

1.        I used the dice to start counting in simple and calm way

2.        I asked one child to model how to roll the dice and then to count how many points

3.        Whatever the number that the child read e.g  number 5 after he said that there is five points

4.        I asked all the children it is right?? and we count together

5.        I asked the students show me 5 fingers

B)

1.        Display some of the picture cards  randomly in a raw at a top of the board  such as

 

 

2.        Point and say “I can see one butterfly”... “Can you see other cards show just one thing?”

3.        Choose a child who is sitting nicely (follow the rule of circle time)

4.        Ask the child to identify other picture show the number that you asked for

5.        Ask the child to move the card bellow the first card.

6.        Ask the children to show me one finger and to count how many pictures are in the card.

7.        Repeat the same process to find 2,3,4 and 5

8.        Point at one of the picture cards randomly and ask the children to count how many with you e.g pointing to the cats card, asking how many cats? Say 1, 2, 3 there are 3 cats... Well done.

9.        Repeat several times to count sets from 1 to 6.

 

Small groups (matching game) 10 min each group  to 15 min if its needed

1.        Use the same flash cards to do a matching game.

2.        Each child will choose two cards and he/ she will see if each card has the same number of pictures.