https://padlet.com/balckm221/1xu7hm3rwqcn7znc By Kristen Balczon en-us 2021-04-26 23:25:21 UTC 2024-05-19 00:12:48 UTC hello@padlet.com balckm221 https://padlet.com/balckm221/1xu7hm3rwqcn7znc/wish/1462181263 2021-04-27 00:58:52 UTC https://padlet.com/balckm221/1xu7hm3rwqcn7znc/wish/1462181263 balckm221 https://padlet.com/balckm221/1xu7hm3rwqcn7znc/wish/1462223331 2021-04-27 01:13:22 UTC https://padlet.com/balckm221/1xu7hm3rwqcn7znc/wish/1462223331 balckm221 https://padlet.com/balckm221/1xu7hm3rwqcn7znc/wish/1462233289 At Sharpsville, the 2nd grade class is introduced to new vocabulary and spelling words every Monday. They spend the entire week practicing spelling words, using them in context, applying vocabulary words in context, and are exposed to their vocabulary through different forms of writing and text. By the end of the week, students are able to use their new vocabulary and spelling words to communicate effectively. Through writer's workshops and Look Back and Writes, the students write for multiple different purposes, and the vocabulary and conventions they are exposed to during class grows their abilities as writers. The photo above shows an example of a Word Wall that is in my cooperating teacher's classroom. Every week, she posts their new spelling words onto their word wall for them to observe everyday. The reading teacher also has a word wall in her room, containing the grade's vocabulary words from throughout the year. These are excellent tools to help students remember to use language effectively to communicate with others.]]> 2021-04-27 01:17:04 UTC https://padlet.com/balckm221/1xu7hm3rwqcn7znc/wish/1462233289 balckm221 https://padlet.com/balckm221/1xu7hm3rwqcn7znc/wish/1462256450 2021-04-27 01:25:39 UTC https://padlet.com/balckm221/1xu7hm3rwqcn7znc/wish/1462256450 balckm221 https://padlet.com/balckm221/1xu7hm3rwqcn7znc/wish/1462261638 2021-04-27 01:27:36 UTC https://padlet.com/balckm221/1xu7hm3rwqcn7znc/wish/1462261638 balckm221 https://padlet.com/balckm221/1xu7hm3rwqcn7znc/wish/1462263832 During my time at Sharpsville, I was able to observe a Writer's Workshop in action. Pictured above is an example of a different writing piece that the students have completed previously. This example shows students using a letter format to write to their favorite crayon, expressing why they love that color so much. The Writer's Workshop that I was able to observe was a research writing piece. The hallway also contained different writing pieces that all of the students have completed throughout the school year. It is obvious that the students at Sharpsville are exposed to a wide variety of writing styles. I was able to observe how students grew as writers, through prewriting, drafting, and editing stages of Workshop. The students are applying their knowledge of proper writing conventions and vocabulary to form writing pieces that serve different purposes and for different audiences. The students will also be given rubrics that they will use to self-evaluate before submitting their final copies.]]> 2021-04-27 01:28:21 UTC https://padlet.com/balckm221/1xu7hm3rwqcn7znc/wish/1462263832 balckm221 https://padlet.com/balckm221/1xu7hm3rwqcn7znc/wish/1462277617 2021-04-27 01:33:21 UTC https://padlet.com/balckm221/1xu7hm3rwqcn7znc/wish/1462277617 balckm221 https://padlet.com/balckm221/1xu7hm3rwqcn7znc/wish/1462287983 While at practicum, I was lucky enough to be able to observe a Writer's Workshop in its (almost) entirety. The writing piece was a 5-paragraph research response on an animal of their choice. Before the students began the prewriting stage, they were given a few days to research animals on PebbleGo and think about their favorite animal that they would like to research. When the students began the prewriting stage, they completed graphic organizers with facts about their animal of choice, that they would later use to formulate their papers. The students spent day working through the Writer's Workshop and will create final copies of informative papers for their audience, using proper spelling and conventions. The students utilized technology for research on their papers. The artifact I included is the grading rubric that students will use to self-evaluate, and the teacher will later use to evaluate the final copies. The rubric identifies the ability to collaborate in research and writing projects.]]> 2021-04-27 01:37:02 UTC https://padlet.com/balckm221/1xu7hm3rwqcn7znc/wish/1462287983 balckm221 https://padlet.com/balckm221/1xu7hm3rwqcn7znc/wish/1462299585 2021-04-27 01:41:25 UTC https://padlet.com/balckm221/1xu7hm3rwqcn7znc/wish/1462299585 balckm221 https://padlet.com/balckm221/1xu7hm3rwqcn7znc/wish/1462303583 2021-04-27 01:43:00 UTC https://padlet.com/balckm221/1xu7hm3rwqcn7znc/wish/1462303583 balckm221 https://padlet.com/balckm221/1xu7hm3rwqcn7znc/wish/1462312096 The 2nd grade class has Chrome Books for every student, so the children are exposed to technology all the time during school. Students used their computers to conduct their research for their informative Writer's Workshop pieces. During the entire writing process, students used their computers and the virtual website PebbleGo to find information about different animals. They were able to use the information they found online to complete graphic organizers, and later formulate their final drafts.]]> 2021-04-27 01:46:19 UTC https://padlet.com/balckm221/1xu7hm3rwqcn7znc/wish/1462312096 balckm221 https://padlet.com/balckm221/1xu7hm3rwqcn7znc/wish/1462322997 2021-04-27 01:50:14 UTC https://padlet.com/balckm221/1xu7hm3rwqcn7znc/wish/1462322997 balckm221 https://padlet.com/balckm221/1xu7hm3rwqcn7znc/wish/1462335808 2021-04-27 01:54:38 UTC https://padlet.com/balckm221/1xu7hm3rwqcn7znc/wish/1462335808 balckm221 https://padlet.com/balckm221/1xu7hm3rwqcn7znc/wish/1462340160 In my homeroom classroom, there is a new "Star Student" every week. For that week, the students get to spend time every morning during morning meeting learning new things about a peer. One of my favorite days was getting to watch the students read-aloud one of their favorite books for the class. Not only does a child have the opportunity to share about their interests and what they enjoy reading at home with their class, they are given the opportunity to practice their reading and language skills. Students are learning to read confidently and fluently and are encouraged to share their thoughts and ideas others.]]> 2021-04-27 01:56:21 UTC https://padlet.com/balckm221/1xu7hm3rwqcn7znc/wish/1462340160 balckm221 https://padlet.com/balckm221/1xu7hm3rwqcn7znc/wish/1462345837 2021-04-27 01:58:27 UTC https://padlet.com/balckm221/1xu7hm3rwqcn7znc/wish/1462345837 balckm221 https://padlet.com/balckm221/1xu7hm3rwqcn7znc/wish/1463841594 2021-04-27 11:53:43 UTC https://padlet.com/balckm221/1xu7hm3rwqcn7znc/wish/1463841594 balckm221 https://padlet.com/balckm221/1xu7hm3rwqcn7znc/wish/1463844629 2021-04-27 11:54:49 UTC https://padlet.com/balckm221/1xu7hm3rwqcn7znc/wish/1463844629 balckm221 https://padlet.com/balckm221/1xu7hm3rwqcn7znc/wish/1463846109 2021-04-27 11:55:10 UTC https://padlet.com/balckm221/1xu7hm3rwqcn7znc/wish/1463846109 balckm221 https://padlet.com/balckm221/1xu7hm3rwqcn7znc/wish/1463847224 2021-04-27 11:55:35 UTC https://padlet.com/balckm221/1xu7hm3rwqcn7znc/wish/1463847224 balckm221 https://padlet.com/balckm221/1xu7hm3rwqcn7znc/wish/1463879602 2021-04-27 12:06:44 UTC https://padlet.com/balckm221/1xu7hm3rwqcn7znc/wish/1463879602 balckm221 https://padlet.com/balckm221/1xu7hm3rwqcn7znc/wish/1463881866 In my Sharpsville 2nd grade class, every week they prepared for Army Math, which was their teachers way of tracking student progress with addition and subtraction facts. A goal that my cooperating teacher set was to make sure students become more fluent in their addition/subtraction facts. Every week the students study flash cards and practice addition and subtraction facts. They are then given 6 minutes to complete as many problems as they can. As I observed students working, I saw how students were developing fluency and how engaged students were during this activity, they looked forward to Army Math and got excited when they could "rank up".. In my future classroom, while I won't choose to use a timed speed quiz for assessment of fluency, I can use forms of repetitive teaching to help students become fluent with their math skills. A goal of teaching math is to ensure students can fluently solve addition and subtraction, however, I don't want to measure a student's ability to do so quickly. I want to make sure my students are able to become fluent with mathematics, but ensure they they don't feel pressured to solve problems quickly. I can do so by ensuring my students understand the processes of how they are reaching solutions, rather than solely focusing on finding a solution. As a teacher, I want to find creative activities, such as Army Math, that my students are engaged with, while also being able to solve math in ways that work for them to build solid fluency.]]> 2021-04-27 12:07:30 UTC https://padlet.com/balckm221/1xu7hm3rwqcn7znc/wish/1463881866 balckm221 https://padlet.com/balckm221/1xu7hm3rwqcn7znc/wish/1463966840 During my experience with math buddies, I worked with two students that were both at different math levels. Working with a student that understood content better versus a student that needed some additional support allowed me to observe students productively struggling, but doing so in positive ways that led to solutions. In particular, we focused on addition and subtraction during each session, since this seemed to be an area for improvement. We noticed that one student struggled with skip counting, which affected their addition/subtraction facts as well as ability to count coins. My partner and I provided numerous ways to help our student become more fluent with addition/subtraction. Pictured above is an example of a number line we created to help our students understand using number lines for adding/subtracting, but also showed how number lines can help with skip counting. We allowed students to have waiting time when solving problems, and we encouraged them to work out their number sentences on their whiteboards in a way that worked best for them. After our math buddy sessions, we were able to see how these different ways to solve math helped our students become better doers of mathematics. ]]> 2021-04-27 12:32:03 UTC https://padlet.com/balckm221/1xu7hm3rwqcn7znc/wish/1463966840 balckm221 https://padlet.com/balckm221/1xu7hm3rwqcn7znc/wish/1470397432 2021-04-28 17:56:32 UTC https://padlet.com/balckm221/1xu7hm3rwqcn7znc/wish/1470397432 balckm221 https://padlet.com/balckm221/1xu7hm3rwqcn7znc/wish/1470449485 In my 2nd grade classroom at Sharpsville, the students had a wide range of literature to select from. From fiction, non-fiction, fantasy, realistic fiction, poetry, diversity, historical, and more. Every morning, part of the students morning routine is to complete their morning work. Once they finish morning work, they have the opportunity to "Book Shop" and shop for new books that they keep in their literacy bags. They bring their literacy bags with them to all of their rotations during the day so they always have books, and are encouraged to read during any free time they have. I saw many students reading independently throughout the day and got to watch students book shop during the day. Many of the books I remember reading during my own childhood, such as Dr. Seuss and Dork Diaries. The classroom library is organized with bins by reading level, labeled A-Z. The teachers use the student's DRAs throughout the school year to determine their reading level, students are encouraged to select books from their best fit "letter", but may select any books they wish to read that day. During class, in the article "Big Ideas Behind Daily 5" by Gail Boushey, I read about the importance of providing students books to read that are best fit for them and that they can read with strong accuracy. I was able to see how the teacher utilized the DRAs from earlier in the year to determine a best fit "level" for the students.]]> 2021-04-28 18:06:58 UTC https://padlet.com/balckm221/1xu7hm3rwqcn7znc/wish/1470449485 balckm221 https://padlet.com/balckm221/1xu7hm3rwqcn7znc/wish/1470475630 2021-04-28 18:12:24 UTC https://padlet.com/balckm221/1xu7hm3rwqcn7znc/wish/1470475630 balckm221 https://padlet.com/balckm221/1xu7hm3rwqcn7znc/wish/1470513962 2021-04-28 18:20:03 UTC https://padlet.com/balckm221/1xu7hm3rwqcn7znc/wish/1470513962 balckm221 https://padlet.com/balckm221/1xu7hm3rwqcn7znc/wish/1470532314 2021-04-28 18:23:49 UTC https://padlet.com/balckm221/1xu7hm3rwqcn7znc/wish/1470532314 balckm221 https://padlet.com/balckm221/1xu7hm3rwqcn7znc/wish/1470568052 After morning meeting, the second grade class spends 30 minutes for "Power Hour" which is where students have a half hour to get extra support in areas for growth. My homeroom teacher teaches additional reading support for students during Power Hour. I was able to observe my cooperating teacher using a program called Shooting Stars that specializes in word formation, sounds, and meaning. The teacher uses a variety of index cards containing word endings, vowel/consonant combinations, whole words, fake words, and more, to support reading development. The students learn new word meanings and sounds, which benefits them for future reading. The students also read stories aloud during Power Hour as a group and discussed comprehension questions during/after the reading. The skills practiced during Power Hour help the student develop fluent reading skills that benefit them during whole-class read-alouds, and encourage proper reading skills.]]> 2021-04-28 18:31:24 UTC https://padlet.com/balckm221/1xu7hm3rwqcn7znc/wish/1470568052 balckm221 https://padlet.com/balckm221/1xu7hm3rwqcn7znc/wish/1470598523 2021-04-28 18:37:54 UTC https://padlet.com/balckm221/1xu7hm3rwqcn7znc/wish/1470598523 balckm221 https://padlet.com/balckm221/1xu7hm3rwqcn7znc/wish/1470608737 2021-04-28 18:40:11 UTC https://padlet.com/balckm221/1xu7hm3rwqcn7znc/wish/1470608737 balckm221 https://padlet.com/balckm221/1xu7hm3rwqcn7znc/wish/1471308896 2021-04-28 22:27:27 UTC https://padlet.com/balckm221/1xu7hm3rwqcn7znc/wish/1471308896 balckm221 https://padlet.com/balckm221/1xu7hm3rwqcn7znc/wish/1471315599 2021-04-28 22:31:08 UTC https://padlet.com/balckm221/1xu7hm3rwqcn7znc/wish/1471315599 balckm221 https://padlet.com/balckm221/1xu7hm3rwqcn7znc/wish/1471319339 Every week, the 2nd grade teachers send home newsletters to families to keep them up-to-date on their child's education. This semester, I read the article "Genres at Home and at School: Bridging the Known to the New" by Nell Duke, which informed be about the importance of involving families in their child's education, especially their literacy development. Newsletters and family send-outs are excellent ways to stay connected with families and identify what a child will be learning/reading in school. By using newsletters and family surveys, teachers can encourage reading and literacy development outside of the classroom. Pictured above is an example of the 2nd Grade Newsletter that my teacher sends out every week. Parents are informed of stories children are reading, genres they are exploring that week, author explorations, and more.]]> 2021-04-28 22:33:18 UTC https://padlet.com/balckm221/1xu7hm3rwqcn7znc/wish/1471319339 balckm221 https://padlet.com/balckm221/1xu7hm3rwqcn7znc/wish/1471335972 2021-04-28 22:42:48 UTC https://padlet.com/balckm221/1xu7hm3rwqcn7znc/wish/1471335972 balckm221 https://padlet.com/balckm221/1xu7hm3rwqcn7znc/wish/1471340767 During my practicum in Sharpsville, I was unable to observe children interacting with diverse, multicultural literature. As a teacher, I plan to incorporate diversity into my student's literature. Teaching and reading about different cultures introduces children to the differences among people around the world. I plan to incorporate diversity into my classroom library and dedicate read-alouds to diverse books. In the article, "Where are the People of Color in Children's Books?" by Walter Meyers, he identifies that most children's books don't include characters of color, so many students are not being exposed to literature that reflects their life. As part of my balanced reading program in the future, I will ensure that I include global read-ins and diverse read-alouds, as well as supplying diverse literature, for my students. Attached is an example of a global read-in that I completed this semester. Global read-ins such as these will introduce diverse literature to young children.]]> 2021-04-28 22:45:36 UTC https://padlet.com/balckm221/1xu7hm3rwqcn7znc/wish/1471340767 balckm221 https://padlet.com/balckm221/1xu7hm3rwqcn7znc/wish/1471360835 2021-04-28 22:57:48 UTC https://padlet.com/balckm221/1xu7hm3rwqcn7znc/wish/1471360835 balckm221 https://padlet.com/balckm221/1xu7hm3rwqcn7znc/wish/1471367174 While at Sharpsville, I did not have the opportunity to observe students interacting with literature from different periods of time. Including both diverse literature and literature from different time periods are essential to building students knowledge about the world and people around them. While researching for my IRA this semester, I came across the article linked above by Lynn and Trudy Nelson. In the article, "Learning History Through Children's Literature", the authors discussed how children can learn about history through literature, but fiction and non-fiction. Children should be introduced to literature about different periods of time because it gives them a sense of power, to see people like them making differences. They learn about times when their ancestors and other family members were alive. Including literature about different periods of time is essential in my future classroom. I can incorporate this form of literacy through Reader's Workshops and guided reading instruction. Doing so would also incorporate multiple disciplines for the students.]]> 2021-04-28 23:01:39 UTC https://padlet.com/balckm221/1xu7hm3rwqcn7znc/wish/1471367174 balckm221 https://padlet.com/balckm221/1xu7hm3rwqcn7znc/wish/1471474109 2021-04-29 00:03:02 UTC https://padlet.com/balckm221/1xu7hm3rwqcn7znc/wish/1471474109 balckm221 https://padlet.com/balckm221/1xu7hm3rwqcn7znc/wish/1473547732 2021-04-29 13:07:25 UTC https://padlet.com/balckm221/1xu7hm3rwqcn7znc/wish/1473547732 balckm221 https://padlet.com/balckm221/1xu7hm3rwqcn7znc/wish/1474456200 While at Sharpsville, I enjoyed spending extra time getting to know my students when I could. The students loved spending recess time with me, and a lot of the students would read, draw, and make cards during free time/indoor recess. The children loved to write, and all wrote me so many thoughtful cards during my time in their classroom, such as those pictured above. Students all wrote for enjoyment and many other reasons, such as those mentioned throughout the rest of the portfolio.]]> 2021-04-29 15:49:42 UTC https://padlet.com/balckm221/1xu7hm3rwqcn7znc/wish/1474456200 balckm221 https://padlet.com/balckm221/1xu7hm3rwqcn7znc/wish/1475838381 2021-04-29 20:39:30 UTC https://padlet.com/balckm221/1xu7hm3rwqcn7znc/wish/1475838381 balckm221 https://padlet.com/balckm221/1xu7hm3rwqcn7znc/wish/1475839234 2021-04-29 20:39:46 UTC https://padlet.com/balckm221/1xu7hm3rwqcn7znc/wish/1475839234 balckm221 https://padlet.com/balckm221/1xu7hm3rwqcn7znc/wish/1475898482 2021-04-29 21:00:20 UTC https://padlet.com/balckm221/1xu7hm3rwqcn7znc/wish/1475898482 balckm221 https://padlet.com/balckm221/1xu7hm3rwqcn7znc/wish/1475945060 2021-04-29 21:18:40 UTC https://padlet.com/balckm221/1xu7hm3rwqcn7znc/wish/1475945060 balckm221 https://padlet.com/balckm221/1xu7hm3rwqcn7znc/wish/1475958684 A form of comprehension assessment used in the 2nd grade curriculum are Look Back and Writes. After students are introduced to a new story, they read the same story in multiple different ways before the teacher begins assessment. Before a Look Back and Write, the teacher always holds a group discussion to discuss the story and begin talking about what their writing prompt will be. The teacher utilizes this discussion to gain observation of student's thoughts/ideas. The students then complete a Look Back and Write prompt, which gives them practice for the PSSA. The teacher uses the student's responses to assess student comprehension of stories. This semester, we learned about Comprehension at the Core in our Harvey readings, and learned about how we need to focus on comprehension and it's importance for a developing reader. I plan to incorporate comprehension assessment throughout Reader's Workshops so I can ensure that my students are becoming stronger readers.]]> 2021-04-29 21:24:42 UTC https://padlet.com/balckm221/1xu7hm3rwqcn7znc/wish/1475958684 balckm221 https://padlet.com/balckm221/1xu7hm3rwqcn7znc/wish/1475966391 2021-04-29 21:27:56 UTC https://padlet.com/balckm221/1xu7hm3rwqcn7znc/wish/1475966391 balckm221 https://padlet.com/balckm221/1xu7hm3rwqcn7znc/wish/1475974713 As previously mentioned, during Power Hour, students get extra help with language support and phonological awareness. One activity that the teacher utilizes are flashcards with different words and sounds. She uses observation to assess a child's ability to read and speak. During this semester, I completed a DRA assignment where I created a lesson with different forms of assessment that focus on phonics. The lesson assessed on a students ability to blend together suffixes with words while reading, but also their ability to create words with new suffixes. This mini-lesson assesses in multiple ways and assesses different aspects of a child's knowledge, such as word formation and recognition. This is similar to the skills practiced during Power Hour in the morning. This semester, we explored the article "Reclaiming Literacy Instruction" by Poonam Arya, and they discussed how important phonics is for literacy comprehension, which I did not know prior. I should ensure that I include phonics and phonological awareness in the classroom so students are best able to understand and comprehend what they are reading.]]> 2021-04-29 21:31:41 UTC https://padlet.com/balckm221/1xu7hm3rwqcn7znc/wish/1475974713 balckm221 https://padlet.com/balckm221/1xu7hm3rwqcn7znc/wish/1475984582 2021-04-29 21:36:07 UTC https://padlet.com/balckm221/1xu7hm3rwqcn7znc/wish/1475984582 balckm221 https://padlet.com/balckm221/1xu7hm3rwqcn7znc/wish/1476026991 During Math Buddies, we focused every session around solving math a variety of different ways. Our students needed additional support with adding/subtracting two-digit numbers. In particular, we created Number Strand Routines every week that we would work on with our students. We included number sentences such as 74+18, 34+26, 56+30, and more. We were able to discuss multiple ways to add numbers together, such as making 10s, deconstructing numbers, using ten frames, and more. When solving number sentences, we encouraged our students to solve the questions however worked best for them. One student tended to write numbers vertically and solve, while the other student found using a number line easier. These tasks allowed the students to think critically about numbers and how they can break apart numbers to create wholes.]]> 2021-04-29 21:56:30 UTC https://padlet.com/balckm221/1xu7hm3rwqcn7znc/wish/1476026991 balckm221 https://padlet.com/balckm221/1xu7hm3rwqcn7znc/wish/1478118040 2021-04-30 13:34:32 UTC https://padlet.com/balckm221/1xu7hm3rwqcn7znc/wish/1478118040 balckm221 https://padlet.com/balckm221/1xu7hm3rwqcn7znc/wish/1478190255 During my time at Sharpsville, I was able to conduct a short lesson on measuring to help students prepare for a test. The goal of my lesson was to have students work properly with rulers to identify lengths using inches and centimeters, as well as comparing different lengths and units of measurement. My students were able to successfully complete both portions of the lesson plan correctly. I established clear goals and objectives throughout the lesson as well as clear instruction. The students were able to utilize their rulers to solve problems and find lengths of different objects. They were able to discover ways to round when measuring and identified which units of measurement fit best for different objects.]]> 2021-04-30 13:48:55 UTC https://padlet.com/balckm221/1xu7hm3rwqcn7znc/wish/1478190255 balckm221 https://padlet.com/balckm221/1xu7hm3rwqcn7znc/wish/1478266487 2021-04-30 14:04:43 UTC https://padlet.com/balckm221/1xu7hm3rwqcn7znc/wish/1478266487 balckm221 https://padlet.com/balckm221/1xu7hm3rwqcn7znc/wish/1479481239 2021-04-30 18:18:34 UTC https://padlet.com/balckm221/1xu7hm3rwqcn7znc/wish/1479481239