Classroom Chaos
Currently, I am a Substitute Teacher trying to work and study my way into the wonderful world of being a credentialed teacher. For now, as I jump life hurdles, I continue to learn to teach and teach to learn.
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No day of teaching is complete without a little nonsense. ;]
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Great idea from The Go To Teacher! I can imagine elementary school teachers doing this or I would use this if I taught SDC classes.
Background: Adventures in Substitute Teaching: The whole school year.
Grade: High School, 9th Grade, ages 13-15
Subject: english/reading/language arts
I start next week.
Within the first two months of the school year, they have been through three substitute teachers. I would be hired, and contracted, as their final teacher for the rest of the school-year.
Help!
What key advice would you give a first-time teacher (that would be me)?
“Be positive, patient, and persistent.”
Check out this PDF document of math games. I found a box full of dice in my classroom and my research lead me to this. It was created by Sarah DeLeeuw and Sarah Klimek for a National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) meeting.
Getting Ready for the Start of School Part II: Why Some Teachers Have Smooth Running Classrooms
The Library of Congress offers classroom materials and professional development to help teachers effectively use primary sources from the Library’s vast digital collections in their teaching.
I admit. This summer’s downtime made me think, and that can be dangerous. Not only was I unemployed, I had time to explore other opportunities, read up on programs, and I began to doubt and reconsider my place in the education world.
Truthfully, education IS my passion. My place in the education world has yet to be determined and I hit a few bumps this past year that make it difficult to get me where I think I belong.
Now that the summer is coming to a close, and the school-year is right aroung the corner, I feel I am BACK and it only took a phone call. Seriously, if I can live off of being a Substitute Teacher I would.
School Administration and Teachers started today and one high school found out they do not have a replacement for one of their teachers who retired last school-year. And then my phone rang. The excitement of hearing a familiar voice and being asked to substitute teach for the first two weeks of school is exciting. And, it will be RSP Math. Math is not my best subject, but I am familiar with the students and know how to cater a curriculum to their needs.
You REALLY do not know how excited I am to be asked to start off the school-year subbing, let alone for two-weeks in the same classroom.
I meet with the Department Chair Friday to discuss the expected curriculum. Last year, when I worked with one of his classes for a month, he allowed me to create my own lesson plans and he approved them. Maybe he’ll give me that luxury this time. Maybe.
I am super-excited.
Yes, Portal and Portal 2 are video games, but do not let that stop you from clicking on the link. In fact, if you are a science teacher of any sorts you may want to take a look at the link either for your own interest or something to consider bringing in to the classroom.
Though, perhaps, I suspect you may already know about Portal and Portal 2 better than I do.
The above link is an interesting look at the use of this video game, which more like an interactive puzzle which may attract students to physics, and its use in the classroom. Below is a brief video showing you some students who had the opportunity to explore Portal. I’m all for fun and games, especially if students are learning from it.
Here’s a recommended list of the 40 Most Awesome iPad Apps for Science Students.
I don’t know how awesome these iPad Applications are, but I am sure there is a Science Teacher out there willing to give it a try.
A Love For Teaching: Adventures in Second Grade blogged an activity called Math Facts Race! It’s a great, engaging math activity that can be changed to accommodate lower to higher math learners. AND, you can fit it to engage middle and high school students.
I especially LOVE the use of bottle caps! So this Summer, go ahead and drink those bottles of water (though I recommend the use of a reusable, BPA-free water bottles during the majority of your summer) and recycle those bottle caps.
Slap! Call out a word and first person to slap it, adds it to their pile….. vocabulary, sight words, math facts… so many possibilities!
The Next Time Someone Says the Internet Killed Reading Books, Show Them This Chart
Alexis Madrigal is a senior editor at The Atlantic. He posted this chart and article in April:
All this to say: our collective memory of past is astoundingly inaccurate. Not only has the number of people reading not declined precipitously, it’s actually gone up since the perceived golden age of American letters.
Andrew Miller (@betamiller on Twitter) typed up this piece for Edutopia back in January. It’s an informative piece of ways you can use alternative reading materials such as graphic novels and comics to engage readers. He also recommends a few graphic novels and comics he has successfully used in the classroom.
