Week 12 - Day 58

it seems like yesterday that i just started teaching in the classroom and yet at the same time it seems as if it's been a long long time coming. like i stated for yesterday's entry....it's bittersweet; i'm excited that this chapter is over and i'll be able to have my own classroom soon and yet i'm going to miss these students dearly.

due to the opening of hunting season today and a short week next week due to thanksgiving...we're having a root beer lab today. the students are making homemade root beer and they'll be able to drink it in two weeks. unfortunately, i won't be here for the drinking of the root beer. i told them to butter up mrs. s to see if she could bring in some ice cream. the lab was chaotic but productive. it's very expensive to do...but the students liked it and hopefully will appreciate the root beer when they're finally able to drink it.

some of the students kicked me out of study hall during 7th period. they were setting up the room for a little farewell party. i received numerous cards made by the students and one large card signed by the entire seventh grade class. the art teacher stopped me in the morning and wished me well...she stated that i've made an impact on the students, school, and am well respected by the staff. i almost started crying right then and there...i think i've talked to the art teacher maybe five times in passing and for someone i didn't know well at all to stop me and tell me that was very special to me. the students had balloons, ribbons, and other decorations hanging along with cupcakes and cookies. i couldn't believe how much trouble they went to and it truly touched my heart.

i have been floating around in various careers and jobs...and i just found out what i am here for... to be a teacher.

Week 12 - Day 57

i thought i'd do something different today besides a lab. the lesson today was a combo of history and science. the students were studying the salem witch trials and the role of ergot in them. ergot is a fungus that infects rye grains. it's believed that during a wet and humid summer that the rye grains got infected with the fungus. the symptoms included hallucinations, delirium, convulsions, unintelligible speech, etc. we read a background on salem and the trials...discussed...watched short video clips on the trials from the history channel...discussed...and then they worked on questions. the students were very willing to participate and asked a lot of questions. we all agreed that the fungus couldn't explain everything that happened during the trials, but definitely contributed. some of the students even noted that the hallucinations, etc., had stopped after the following summer which was dry and fungus free.

i would definitely keep this lesson, however, i would make it into two days instead of one so that we could watch a few more clips and investigate the fungus a little more with pictures. i would also include live specimens of fungus or pictures and have the students compare and contrast them.

Week 12 - Day 56

yes...another day of yeast. the lab was a full class period today. the students were to study the affects of temperature and yeast. during the aikido seminar i had gone to last weekend...the guest instructor (a principal of a middle school) had announced to save all the water bottles for me and my experiment. so, thankfully i managed to get over 120 plastic bottles all of the same size...yeah for me and my fellow martial artists!

the students were given 3 bottles, 3 balloons, sugar, and yeast. i had pans set up around the lab tables containing ice water, room temperature water, and hot water. they filled the bottles up a quarter of the way and added sugar and yeast...then covered the top of a bottle with a balloon. the next step was placing a bottle in each temperature of water. they had to make a 5, 15, and 30 minute observations. during their observations, they worked on their lab report and discussed the questions. the best and worst part of the experiment was when the balloons inflated and popped up. the students were very excited and lots of "oohhh....that's so cool" and then everyone swarmed around the balloons that were starting to stand up right before their eyes. the next time i'd do this lab...i'd have more pans of water. the problem with this classroom was that there is only 3 lab tables to work on...4 if you count the one that moves and is half the size of the others. the other problem is that there weren't any pans...i had to borrow the ones i used from the kitchen.

Week 12 - day 55

yeast...i think it's a fun word to say...yeast...yeeeeassst...don't mind me. today was the fermentation lab. the students were given a beaker, yeast, warm water, and honey. the students were introduced to fermentation. the lab itself took only 10-15 minutes. they learned how carbon dioxide is released by the yeast "eating" the honey and that the matter left over was alcohol. they got a kick off of the yeast falling and then later rising. i told the students that the yeast were bloated with gas and swam to the surface to fart...releasing carbon dioxide. mrs. s and i taught the lab a little differently...she had the students gently stir the yeast so that it dissolved. the students were able to see the bubbling of the carbon dioxide being released with the stirring method. i had my students leave the yeast alone...letting it float on the surface, gradually falling and rising back again to the surface. i thought the students would be more fascinated watching the yeast...and they were...they thought it was cool watching the cycle and seeing the bubbles.

the classes were a little shorter today because the 8th graders had two more days of testing...the 7th graders only had two days of it. so, the rest of the class period the students spent working on their lab report, finishing the questions, organizing their binders, and turning the report in before leaving for the day. i thought the lab was a great one for short days. i hope i don't ever stop getting a kick off of their faces when something surprises them.

Week 12 - Day 54

well...this is the beginning of the last week of student teaching. i'm looking forward to my teaching coming to an end...but it's very sad at the same time too. i love the middle schoolers...i just want to have a paycheck coming in. all of my cohorts that are student teaching are in the same spot as me...no income, but they are all married and at least they still have money coming in even if it's less than before. i'm on my own and i'm out of money...i need to work.

today we are starting to study the kingdom fungi. i was finally able to check out the video "fatal fungus." a high school teacher was being over protective of it...she was very hesitant to let it out of her classroom and have 7th graders watching it. i guess she plays it for her sophomore class and was worried about students watching it again 3 years later. the students watched the video and we later took notes. i usually have one day a week in which students take notes...so, the video day was the day. the students seemed to be very interested. i wanted them to watch something "scary" about fungus...when asked about kingdom fungi, the students seemed to think only about mushrooms. they caught on pretty quick in figuring out why the boy baby in the crib (his twin sister was on the other end of it) was sicker than her. the vent was closer to him than her...and he breathed in more spores. it was a lively discussion.

Week 11 - Day 53

today was the introduction of kingdom protista. mrs. s stated that one of the nice things of having a student teacher in the classroom was that i bring in different ideas and spins on things. she always had trouble with kingdom protista due to lack of information/ideas for labs. i had a short video on protists that i found on discovery streaming and then had the students work out of their textbooks. the students needed to find an animal-like protist, a plant-like protist, and a fungus-like protist. they then had to draw and label their own models. the last part of the assignment was that they had to list five interesting facts on each one. i would have preferred to do a lesson i did with 7^th graders before and that was to find the speed of a protist. the science room had microscopes...but no slides. i contacted a teacher at the high school and he was willing to let me borrow slides, but after talking to the 7^th grade math teacher...he told me that the students wouldn’t understand how to do speed formulas. the students are farther behind in math than the year prior and he’s just starting word problems involving speed and distance. so, i decided to scrap the lesson and do the one with the models and facts. it went well, but i would’ve preferred to use the microscopes.

Week 11 - Day 52

day two of the testing and day two of the lab. only had two classes today due to the modified schedule. i can’t think of anything that was out of the ordinary or worthy to write about for a journal entry...things went well.

Week 11 - Day 51

the students had state testing in math and language arts today. the schedule is all goofed up for today and tomorrow. the testing started at 7:50 and ended at 11:00 a.m. due to the schedule, i only had to plan one lesson for two days. there was only one class in which i had them for both days...and for that class (6^th period), i had the lab for one day and we read and discussed an article i had found in a grossology book on toilets. the toilet article talked about a lot of funny little interesting tidbits on toilets, different cultures, etc., but the main reason i had the class read it was that it talked about waste treatment plants and the role of bacteria in eliminating waste. the students did enjoy my stories about my experience with toilets in europe and taiwan...i had some funny and gross experiences with them and survived!

the lesson was a lab on testing antiseptics and bacteria. the potato lab dealt with disinfectants...so now we’re trying something else; rubbing alcohol, hydrogen peroxide, and listerine. our control is water and we’re using cut up apples that have been exposed to the air for 5 minutes. the students are then to put a piece of apple in a petri dish and wait another 5 minutes. the students are to notice that the side sitting in the antiseptic turns white again like right away it was cut. they then had to fill out their lab report. it was a shorter lab for a shortened class periods. the lab went well and the students were all engaged in the activity.

Week 11 - Day 49

today we had a morning program planned for veteran’s day. we left right after homeroom and headed on down to the gymnasium. the 7^th and 8^th grade bands and choir were playing and singing throughout the program. the gym was packed with the entire school, community members and veterans. the program was very nice and the students did a good job being respectful and not goofing around during the program. i was very impressed with two student speakers...who happened to be students in my classes...and i told them so later.

the classes later that afternoon had worksheets to complete during the period. it was too hard to plan lessons when one class is 20 minutes, another is 35 minutes, and the rest were ~40 minutes. i told the students that if they completed them, they’d receive extra credit. the worksheets were on contagious diseases caused by bacteria. i now know that i can stand in front of 12 and 13 year olds and say “penis and vagina” without being embarrassed. we talked about gonorrhea (and other diseases)...which is caused by bacteria and how it can make a person sterile if left untreated. i was surprised i didn’t hear any giggles or outright laughter...just a lot of “ewwwww, that’s disgusting!” i didn’t expect to field questions dealing with std’s. my ct was well aware of the conversations and stated that the conversations were appropriate and informative. i doubt it’ll happen, but i’m comfortable enough that if i had to teach sex education, health, or biology dealing with reproductive organs, etc., i’d be cool about it.

Wk 10 - day 48

we were supposed to have a guest speaker today and moments before the beginning of 1st period, the speaker came to the classroom and told us that his wife had a flair up of a chronic medical condition. we told him that he didn't need to stay...that if he needed to leave we understood. he did leave and we scrambled around to figure out what to do. mrs. s had a quick idea...we had the students make an antibiotic poster. we talked about bad bacteria today and the role of antibiotics. i talked about the cultural difference in how people viewed medicine over in taiwan compared to the united states and how the over use of antibiotics in taiwan had made people immune to certain strands of bacteria...which is why SARS hit so hard. for having about 2 minutes to think of something to do...it went really well between the conversations/discussions and making the poster. the poster had to do with taking antibiotics and bacterial diseases. i'd do this lesson again.

Wk 10 - Day 47

the students worked on two things today...they finished the lab started on tuesday and continued to work on the food/bacteria/culture lab in which they had a report due the next day. the students needed to fill out a worksheet...what liquid was the cloudiest, which cup they thought had the most/least bacteria and why, etc. the rest of the class was continued with research on the computer. it was an easy day...fun...and productive. the students did very well staying on task.

Wk 10 - Day 46

today was all about food, certain preservation techniques, and the role of culture in the making/preserving of the food...AND the role of bacteria. the lesson went well...the students seemed a little interested until i started talking about how sugar was used in the creation of wine and beer. i realize that the students may be a little young, but i didn't think it was an inappropriate conversation. we talked about the history of beer with the early colonists, how certain cultures worship it, that Europe drinks more alcohol than the states, but we have more alcoholics, etc. once i got them hooked with the making of alcohol it spun into different foods and i still had their attention. i don't like the fact that, generally speaking, many adults treat alcohol around teens a taboo subject. perhaps that's why europe has far fewer alcoholics...it's part of everyday life and NOT treated as a taboo subject. we also found out many interesting facts on cheese, soy sauce, dried meats, pickling, sour dough bread and a few more.

after our conversations, i had the students grab a laptop and research of food of their choice that used salt, sugar, or vinegar and the history/culture behind it. i would teach this lesson again as long as i knew i could hook them and capture their interest. prior to bringing up wine and beer... i was a little worried on how interested they would be. in the long run it worked quite well. we found out...students shared what they found with the class and we talked for about 10 minutes... that cheese was accidentally made by an arabic merchant who was crossing the desert with milk in a bladder bag that ended up curdling, beef jerky went as far back as the inca culture, soy sauce has been around since 500 a.d. and is still generally made the same way...and many more.

Wk 10 - Day 45

it's bacteria week this week. the lesson today was about germs invading foods and methods to help prevent bacteria growth. the students were to work in groups and each group received; 4 cups, vegetables, sugar, salt, and vinegar. the lesson was okay. it didn't bomb, i just felt it wasn't as interesting as i hoped it to be. we started out with notes on the kingdom monera this week and the role of bacteria. after the notes and discussion, the students gathered the materials and got everything ready. the lab would finish up in two days. i don't have much to say about today either. the one thing i would've changed is that i would've asked the students to observe their cups and take notes on the appearance right away and the last day instead of just what it looked like the last day. i don't think i'd do this lab again...it was a little boring.

Week 10 - Day 44

there wasn't any school today...for the students. instead, it was another professional development day. not much to say today.

Wk 9 - day 43

today we had a modified class schedule due to halloween. the students are attending a social from 2 - 4 p.m. so we shaved off a little time from every period. the students watched the rest of the ebola video today and then i played a game to review the handout and other topics taught/learning during the rest of the quarter. it was a game that i had played with my students in taiwan that was a huge success there...so, i was curious to see how it would do here. all in all it went very well...i would've liked the use of a whiteboard...but i made do.

the one thing i did today out of the norm was have a student present her virus presentation only to me...we went out to the science staff work room while the rest of the students were still watching the video. i had received a note from her special ed. teacher that she didn't want to present...she's a really quiet, shy gal...and i didn't want to freak her out. i could tell she was still slightly panicking. lucky for me and my daily conversations with my students...i told her we're just going to talk to each other like we always do. i swear i could see the tension leave her shoulders. she did just fine and had a very nice presentation.

this monday we won't have any students...so, i hope to get a lot of prep work done. this next week we're starting to study bacteria. i'm glad i have the chance to teach this subject... something i haven't done before, but i sure do wish i was going to be around for earthquakes, volcanoes, and tsunami's...oh well.

Wk 9 - day 42

today we watched a video on the ebola virus. i had prepared a handout for students to answer questions while they watched the movie. it was an easy day. while the students watched the movie, i finished correcting homework and entered the grades. the end of the quarter is tomorrow and all the grades need to be entered and missing work changed to zeros. i wasn't using the video as a cop out so that i could work...i really don't need the extra time for student assignments...i just wanted them to watch something really cool and informative on video. if i had played and shared everything with them i thought was interesting...they'd never leave the science classroom!

one thing i have discovered...is that i really love my 7th graders. i don't think i could ever be as happy teaching in a 2nd grade classroom. i love the personalities, dramas, noise, squirrliness, and the level of science we can discuss. sitting in a 5th grade classroom has only reinforced this in me. i respect the teachers that can handle the wee ones...but give me my middle schoolers any day.

Wk 9 - day 41

the students had their presentations today. the first two classes were with ms. b and most of the students read off of their notes...a few of them had deceided to use the overhead projector. the first two classes i teach both have a very high percentage of special education students. i had stated numerous times the day prior that they only have one day to work on it...the presentation is short and sweet...about 2 minutes. between the two classes i had 5 students out of 42 who weren't prepared...they had forgot their notes. ms. b and i have trouble with students turning assignments in and mercy/understanding have gone to the wayside...it's due when it's due, no exceptions. it's funny how many late assignments have trickled in.

the classes i taught over on mrs. s's side many had power point presentations, some used the overhead projector and very few used their own notes...quite the opposite compared to ms. b and her students. only one student out of ~82 students forgot their notes. one of the things that impressed me was a power point presentation by two likable, but chatty boys...on SARS. the boys had included facts and statements i had made about my experience with SARS while living in taiwan during the outbreak of 2003...the week prior! it's amazing what some students will remember and is a good reminder to me that even though i think they may not be listening... they really may be tuning in.

Wk 9 - day 40

the second day of this 3 day activity was computer work. the students were directed to pick a virus...i always tell them the bloodier the better...and prepare a short presentation for the class tomorrow. i like to think i know my students well...who are 12/13 years old... and what grabs their attention. talking about bloody eyes, black vomit, 2 billion dead from a flu, movies with interesting viruses like "i am legend" gets their interest. once again, the majority of students were hard at work. i had brought portable computer labs to the room and had the librarian check out a cart full of books...all on viruses. i had one or two students every hour that needed a little poking. i just get a kick off of students coming up to me and telling me "ohhh...look at this virus...puss-filled pustules!!" one student had me look at a picture of a virus that was zoomed in...large and scary looking. i said it looked way cool. the student giggled and said i was so cool that i thought a virus was neat looking. she really meant what she said...she wasn't being disrespectful. she said she never had a teacher who thought stuff like that...viruses, etc...was interesting and she liked it. i don't want to toot my horn, but her grade has gone from a D to a B and science is one of her favorite classes. i don't want any student in my room to feel invisible and i think she's "invisible" in a lot of classes...i make sure to have a conversation with her every day.

not much else happened...just work on viruses. i had put a transparency on the overhead projector that had the areas to cover for the presentation. i don't like spending unnecessary time repeating myself...so i simply would point to the projected image on the wall when they panicked and forgot what to include. everyone kept asking me if they needed to type the report, power points, etc. i told them they could do whatever they wanted...so i had a mixture of everything. i told them i was grading them on the information i would be listening to tomorrow.

mrs. s had made the comment that she would've had the students draw viruses out of a hat to make sure that they had viruses and not bacteria caused illnesses. i told her that when i had stood by the door saying "see you later" the day prior, i was also asking the students who their partner was and what virus they were doing before they could leave the classroom. she nodded her head and said that was good. i fully respect and appreciate my cooperating teachers, but it makes me smile when i'm one step ahead of them too.

Wk 9 - day 39

the activity today was about viruses. i find it funny, not really, that after i started teaching about viruses that i came down with one. i can thank mrs. s for that one! i knew i was getting sick on friday...i could feel it. by friday night i had a fever of 101.7 and my voice was gone. the really nasty thing was that i knew it was in my chest. ever since taipei...if i get the slightest sniffle...it goes into my chest. i was diagnosed with chronic obstructive bronchitis in taipei and now whenever i get a "cold", i get bronchitis with a snap of my fingers. i feel better today than i did over the weekend, but i can't sleep...sinus pressure, chest congestion, blah, blah, blah. let me tell you, it's hard to be chipper with the students when you feel like curling up under the blankets in the fetal position and sleeping for a week. i love my students though...so it's hard not to smile.

i had the students divided up into the four corners of the room and used a roll of string as my vector. the students were either mosquitos or people. if they caught the ball of string and was a mosquito, they "bit" the person next to them. if they were a person...nothing happened. i tossed a coin to see if the vector stayed in the same city or moved on to a different one. i had a worksheet for the students to fill out after we were done with this activity. the last 10 minutes, they needed to pick a partner and a virus to research. we're spending tomorrow researching on the computer and then on wednesday, their presenting their findings to the class.

i thought the activity went well...not like the "infected" one, but well enough that i'd do it again. the only thing that i would've done differently is to issue some demerits for students failing to stay on task. mrs. s stated that she wouldn't have put up with the noise especially after i asked them to keep the noise level down because of my voice/breathing issues. i do have to crack the whip a tad more in 8th period, but nothing really severe. the other thing i introduced today was the take home quiz. the students have to create their own virus. there were a lot of groans, but after we talked about a few movies dealing with viruses and how creative they could be...students seemed very interested. i'm anxious to see what kind of viruses i'll be reading about next week!

Wk 8 - Day 38

boring of all holy boring days! today was a waste for me, i could've been home sleeping, doing homework, housework, etc. the students had to take a test, in the computer labs, for language arts. i had to stay in the lab with them and monitor. today was the first day that i can honestly say...i didn't need to be here. it wasn't like the professional development days...just a day sitting in the lab watching students stare at the computers and pressing keys on the keyboard. i was exhausted at the end of the day even though i didn't do anything. i didn't even have any homework to correct. hopefully, i won't have another day like this during student teaching.

Wk 8 - Day 37

i was looking forward to today's lab. i named the lab "infected!" i'm starting a unit on viruses. i kept telling the students that i get to "kill" some of them today. most students laughed and a few looked frightened. i had to laugh at those students and tell them i'm just kidding...we're pretending.

i told the students that they all live in taipei, taiwan with me and were invited over to a party even though SARS had another outbreak. i had little canisters half filled with flour and a couple partily filled with baking soda. they had to write down the names of two students to "share a drink" with, but if someone else came up to them to share...they couldn't refuse. so, a student might have two names on their list, but end up with six. after they were done exchanging their "drinks", i went around with a squirt bottle of vinegar...if it fizzed, they died and if it didn't...they survived. there was ~75% death rate in the classes. the detective work started when the students needed to find the original carrier of the virus. mrs. s had used the overhead projector and wrote down the names of the dead and who was on their list. i thought it was kind of confusing. before i knew that she had done this technique...i did my own thing. i had one student stand up and read off the first name and if that person had died...they stood up too and read their list. this way, the students could visually see the transmission path of the virus.

i don't like lists, lecturing, or being lectured at which is why i'll do everything else before i have to lecture or give notes to the students. i like moving around and being able to touch/manipulate things or have something to look at besides words. i still know very well what it's like to sit in a seat all day and listen to a lecture. when i asked mrs. s what she preferred...the overhead projector or my technique...she liked mine...which gave me warm fuzzies. it was a great day.

Wk 8 - day 36

today we finished the gum classification lab. i'm just really happy that this lab went well...after all, there were some doubts. most of the students got the hang of it and understood that if they started out with 20 pieces of gum...they needed to have a key that had 20 pieces of gum with their own catagory at the end.

i can't think of anything out of the ordinary. mrs. s complimented me on how i handled a situation in a class were 3 boys were wanting to work together again, but i told them no due to lack of productivity. i don't remember what i all said...and i didn't realize that mrs. s was listening. i just simply explained to the boys that they've proven to me that they aren't capable of working together and they needed to find another partner or work alone. they didn't argue or give me an attitude, instead they found other partners and went to work.

most of the work turned in was great...easy to read charts, but there were a couple in which the students used abbreviations for the gum instead of using numbers off of the master gum list. work for other projects are still trickling in...most students are realizing how important actually turning in their work can be. i told my classes about a student who was receiving an F and after turning in a weekly journal that was only worth 10 points maxium...changed her grade into a C...that opened a few eyes. i shake my head at the laid back attitude of turning in homework and taking school seriously.

Wk 8 - day 35

tuesday was spent in a different classroom. not much out of the ordinary with the students. the teacher is very frustrated with their problems on multiplication...especially with decimals. the biggest problem seemed to be adding a zero for the ones position when adding the numbers together after multiplying them. i don't know if i'm explaining this clearly enough. i personally don't think it's any shortcomings of the teacher...lots of lessons and examples on the smartboard, handouts, reviews, etc. it just brings the question to mind on how to teach something to the students when you've tried all the "tricks" you know. of course, some of the students are getting it, but a good percent are not.

the bigger problem, in my eyes, is that with so many students in class, there is no way to reach everybody. i don't have any children myself, but i would definitely think twice about sending them into a classroom with a large number of children if i did. it seems that with more and more emphasis placed on the students with special needs or students at risk...the students of, dare i say, average and above average intelligence...are the ones being ignored.

the teachers sitting in the lounge during break were complaining about having to document reading assessments with students. i know it's just not this school, but teachers are having to do more and more in the classroom that was normally someone else's job. i spent many weeks in a classroom last year with a reading specialist for 4th graders that were at risk. what the teachers are required to do up here in this district was another teachers main job at a different district south of here...and she had trouble keeping up. the thought around here is that the special ed. teachers and specialists are being phased out and the regular ed. classroom teacher will pick up the load. i have issues with this problem.

Wk 8 - Day 34

classification is something i think is fun to learn in science...what student doesn't want to learn about animals. this week i had a different spin on classification to finish it out before starting on viruses. the students had to classify/key out gum. i had students donating gum throughout the week and brought some in myself. the hardest part of the activity was the prep time...not because it took a long time to divide out the gum...it was the smell. i think i drooled a little. the students were paired up and given a plastic baggie of gum. the bag had about 22 pieces in it. the students were to create a key with the gum. most students started out their key with sugar free versus full flavor or mint versus non-mint. i did have a few that were more creative; circular versus rectangular.

what gave me warm fuzzies was when ms. b complimented me on the lab. she was hesitant to do this lab thinking it was just a day for free gum and not doing any work. when she saw how much of a challenge it was and how into the activity the students were...she said the lab was a great idea. i had an example key of how i keyed out potato chips and had a master gum list for everyone. the students got right to work immediately. i had some questions from the students who seemed a little confused, but after helping them figure out their questions on their own...i don't like to give them the answer...they were good to go. i had kept all the empties after dumping/dividing the gum so that the students could take up the piece of gum in question and try to figure out what it was that they were holding by looking at the packaging instead of just a printed list. this lab was only meant to be a one day activity and ended up being a two day activity. both cooperating teachers stated that they would use this lab again next year...warm fuzzies.

Wk 7 - Day 33

I had a video on classification today that led into the five kingdoms. we’re starting virsuses and then the five kingdoms next week. the second half of the lesson I had the students work on an interactive activity on the internet reviewing classification. the activity was extremely easy and the majority of students completed it in 10 minutes. I planned an easy activity on purpose...i wanted to essentially “throw a bone” to the students that needed a little extra boost. a few of the students complained that it was too easy, but the majority of them seemed to realize that the activity was a chance to make up points. I didn’t do this very often in Taiwan, but I want every student to feel like they can succeed...so I threw them something their way. if I was to do this activity on the internet next time...i would still use the same website, but I would then have the students created the next set of questions on their own.

Wk 7 - Day 32

today was the due date of the classification activity. out of ~25 students for each class, I have about 5 students who didn’t turn anything in. they’ll still get credit, but there’ll be a penalty for each day that it’s late. the student mentioned in yesterday’s journal entry didn’t turn anything in except the pictures...the project is worth 50 points; the largest assignment so far...his grade is now an F. I wonder how his family will be now that he’s failing.

the students were finding out all sorts of information on their animals via the internet. I overheard a student telling another student to ask me a question about their animal, “ms. e knows everything.” the student asked me how I knew so much about animals and I reminded them about my jobs and background...and that I love to learn. I remembered how much I liked to learn about animals when I was in middle school and it was great to see the same interest in a lot of the students. I don’t expect everyone to come away loving science...i do want every student leaving the classroom learning concepts.

Wk 7 - Day 31

I think the hardest part of today was listening to a student who was still looking for pictures and talking more than working...tell me that his family is okay with his grade of a D...as long as it isn’t an F. I don’t know how to motivate a student when he isn’t motivating himself and obviously his family isn’t either. I worked with him and his partner a little extra, but I refuse to do the work for them. once again, the majority of the students are plugging away, but for those that aren’t...i wonder how they’ll be at the end of class tomorrow when it’s due.

this is the second day of having a substitute for mrs. s’s classes. I get along very well with mrs.s and I’m grateful to be in her classroom, but I do enjoy having the class all to myself. ms. b and I get along very well too, but we don’t have very much time to work together at all because of schedule conflicts. the only time we can meet is after school and so far she’s had meeting every day this week. so far...we’ve met twice since I’ve been here...this is not a good match and not because of teaching style or personality...just because of time.

Wk 7 - Day 30

the lesson today was dealing with the classification of animals and introducing linneaus. the students had to find ten different pictures of animals from magazines that were supplied and cut them out and paste them on a piece of paper. the next step was to find the scientific name and describe the animal in 12 words...like linneaus. mrs. s suggested that the lesson be spread out over 3 days instead of 2, so my lesson for friday got bumped to monday. the majority of the students were working hard, but a handful of them putzed around finding pictures...i’d remind them that the toughest part was yet to come; describing the animals. I’m glad that I listened to mrs. s because the students really did need an extra day.

they did pretty well; lots of new vocabulary was seen in their work on describing the animals...herbivore, insectivore, etc. I always get warm fuzzies when the students are actually listening and use words I introduced in just talking to them and telling them stories about animals. students were telling other students that their animal in question was a prey animal because the eyes were offset in the skull...which I had told them a day earlier.

Wk 7 - Day 29

today was spent with mrs. l and her 26 students. normally she had a 3 hour block of language arts in the afternoon, but due to two students who aren’t able to be there in the afternoon...the principal had mrs. l and another teacher change their schedule so that the language art block is now in the morning. at first the principal wanted the entire 5^th grade staff to change their schedules, but the teachers complained that ~200 students shouldn’t have to change their schedules for just two students. so, now those two students are able to learn language arts, but are now missing math, science, and social studies. the principal stated that the students can learn those missing subjects at a later time by being able to read better. mrs. l stated that learning more isn’t necessarily better...comprehension isn’t guaranteed.

the math lesson was a review of money and emphasizing adding and subtracting with decimals. mrs. l uses the Smartboard with everything. she stated that the time to put in creating a lesson on Smartboard takes hours and that’s if you know what you’re doing. the good thing is that those lessons can be used over and over. in mrs. s’s class, the Smartboard has really only been using as a glorified projector. i’ve tried to do a few things in creating a lesson on the Smartboard, but I’m floundering around with it.

in social studies, the students presented their power point presentations on their states. mrs. l had a two minute time limit for each student, but that is still two class periods or more due to the size of the class. mrs. l had 4 students filling out a peer review form and instructed the other students that with their comments they have to have one positive comment for every one negative comment. it was interesting to watch how they put their presentations together. many of them had information in the power point presentation that had nothing to do with their states. all in all they did really well.